Amber Sheets
by Sealie and Buns
Summary: After a trip down the stairs seventeen year old Tonks finds herself in the Hogwarts Library falling at feet of eighteen year old Remus Lupin. Quite literally. James/Lily, Remus/Tonks, Sirius/Marlene, Peter/Dorcas
1. The First Meeting

**Amber Sheets**

Nymphadora Tonks groaned and threw her quill onto her desk, roughly running her hands through her short pink hair. She had been sitting in the library for a good five hours and all she had written was a foot of a three foot essay due the next morning for her Transfiguration class. "All right there, Nympha?" Tonks flashed her head around to see Bill Weasley grinning broadly at her.

"Nope not all right," she mumbled and nodded towards her essay miserably. Bill plopped down next to her and picked up the parchment, scanning over her pitiful essay. He frowned, his long red hair brushing against his chin, and he took out his quill and red ink. Bill began crossing out lines upon lines of her essay until only three lines were left.

"There you go," he said brightly. Bill placed his quill and ink back into his bag, then handed Tonks back her essay.

"And this helped me _how _exactly? You reduced my essay into an inch! I had a whole foot! Just for this Weasley, you are handing me your essay to copy and you are going to like it." Tonks grabbed Bill's bag and fished out his Transfiguration folder. Flipping through, she grabbed his essay and shoved the rest back in his bag. "You can have it back at breakfast."

"You know, I love it when you order me around in that uniform." Bill stuck his tongue out at Tonks, and she laughed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "By the way that essay in your hand is yours. I took the liberty of writing one for you because I know how packed up your schedule is at the moment."

Tonks read the top line and her heart jumped, sure enough it said. _The Power of Animagi by Nymphadora Tonks. _Tonks squealed and jumped up, hugging Bill tightly. "You are the best friend in the world, do you realize that?" Tonks sat back in her seat, her grin as wide as that cat's in Alice in Wonderland.

Bill laughed and sat back in his seat watching his friend amused. "I have my moments of pure genius and undying need to help those in peril, I'll admit."

Tonks hugged the essay to her chest, "Peril is the understatement of the century! McGonagall would have skinned me alive and fed me to the Slytherins."

Bill cocked his head to the side, "if I remember correctly, Nympha, you didn't mind being eaten by a certain Slytherin last year."

"William!" Tonks squeaked her face and hair turning a bright shade of red in her embarrassment. "I thought we swore to never speak of that incident!" Tonks shuddered, "it was a mistake. How long will I be teased about it?"

Bill chuckled and stood up. He grabbed his bag and Tonks' slinging them both over his shoulder. Holding out his hand, Bill pulled Tonks up and started walking out the Library and into the brisk corridors. "Well the length of teasing is directly related to how stupid what you did was, so… a very long time."

Tonks groaned inwardly and hid her face in his shoulder. "But but…" sigh. "I sigh at you, Bill Weasley."

Bill grinned easily, patting her atop the head. "It's okay, Nympha." Tonks pouted and began to skip next to her friend. Bill looked at her wearily, "What on earth are you doing?"

Tonks gave him a huge smile, "I am skipping…. Shite!" Tonks' smile faltered as she made to step down the stairs and missed the step, causing her to fall down the flight.

"Nymphadora!" Bill ran down the stairs after his friend, but when he made it to the bottom all that was to be found was the essay he had written for her the night before.

o0o

Rain hit the windows steadily; the library was becoming increasingly dark signaling to its inhabitants that break would soon be over and dinner would begin. A small sickly looking boy sat in a secluded corner of the library, his nose stuck in a second hand copy of _NEWT Potions and How Not to Be Killed by Them_. Bits and pieces of ripped parchment and a used quill laid about him on the table where he resided.

"EEEKKK!"

A scream coming from above him startled him from his reading and he looked over his book to the source of the noise. The scream was quickly followed by the thud of a body falling by his feet. The boy placed his book down and pulled his chair away from the desk. Kneeling on the floor next to the person who was now getting on their knees he said, "Love are you okay? You aren't hurt are you, that was quite a fall."

Tonks looked up into the boy's eyes and her breath caught in her throat. Staring back at her was a pair of the most gorgeous amber colored eyes she had ever seen in her life. "Eum... where am I?"

The boy took Tonks by her arms and lifted her gently to her feet. He pushed her into his abandoned seat and sat on his knees in front of her. He noticed that she was favoring one foot over the other and pressed softly into her ankle. Tonks winced and pulled her foot away from him, "Ouch." She complained, her hair turning to its original black color. "I think my ankle is broken."

The boy sighed, and looked back into her eyes. His face flashed in amusement when he noticed the change in her hair color. "You are in the Hogwarts Library, and yes I do believe that you ankle is broken."

Tonks shook her head, "I know I am in the Hogwarts library. I am more interested in _when_."

"Ah well it is 24 November, 1977." The boy smiled warmly causing Tonks' heart to beat erratically in her chest. His eyes seemed to burn deeply into hers. They made her melt, and she felt that all her fears were erased. He prodded her ankle and muttered, "_Episkey," _under his breath. A weird warm and cold sensation passed through her foot before it settled.

"Th-thank you," Tonks blushed as he grinned up widely at her.

The boy stood up and offered her a hand. "My name is Remus, Remus Lupin. I am in Gryffindor. What might your name be? By your robes I can see that you are in Hufflepuff, though I have never seen you around school before. Are you new?"

Tonks bit her lip, thinking of a way to get out of the current conversation. "Something like that. Listen do you think you could take me to the Headmaster's office? I need to speak with him."

Remus smiled brightly at her and threw his stuff into his bag before offering his hand to help her up. She took it gratefully and jumped to her feet. Tonks threw him a small smile, "thank you Remus."

Remus chuckled softly and placed his hands into his pockets, leading her out of the library and down the many corridors to the Headmaster's office. The library was not on the fourth floor like it was in her time. In fact the portraits that stared at her from their golden frames were not ones she had seen before. They climbed up one of the many moving staircases and into a hall that she, yet again, was not familiar with. Tonks pursed her lips; this did not bode well with her. It had taken her a good two years before she was able to successfully make her way through the castle without getting lost. If she were to be completely fair with herself, she would admit that the castle must have been in the middle of reconstruction so technically it was not her memory, but still it irked her that she had to memorize the castle all over again.

Tonks was shaken out of her thoughts when Remus murmured "Chocolate Lemon Drop," to the gargoyles that blocked the stairs to the Headmaster's office. When the gargoyle's sprang out of the way the two teenagers made their way up the stairs to the large oak door. Remus knocked and waited until the voice on the other side of the door beckoned for them. "Yes Mr. Lupin? To what do I owe this late night rendezvous?"

The door opened in front of them and Tonks followed Remus into the office quietly, "This girl was looking to speak with you Professor. I thought it would be best for her to speak with you now, for I feel what she needs to speak of is of great importance."

Tonks stepped forward and offered her hand to the man behind the large desk, "Hello, Professor Dumbledore, my name is Nymphadora Tonks. I am a Hufflepuff in my seventh year."

Dumbledore smiled politely, and took her hand warmly in his. "It is a pleasure I am sure, Nymphadora. I am afraid there are no seventh years with your name."

Tonks took a deep breath trying to ignore her eye as it twitched from Dumbledore calling her by her given name. "No you wouldn't have a record of my name as a seventh year, _yet. _Not for at least another thirteen years. You will however have my name in the register for the students coming in 1984, my Mum signed me up before I was even born."

Dumbledore nodded his head and took out his wand. Everything was quiet as he quickly went through his records and soon confirmed that she in fact was signed to start in a few years. "Well from what you say Dear, your story does indeed seem correct. I must ask though, how did you get here?"

Remus gently pushed Tonks into a seat, and he took the one next to her. She felt as if his eyes were burning a hole into her soul, and she gulped before starting her story. "Well I was in the Library working on my Transfiguration essay, when my friend Bill Weasley had come and saved my life by giving me the essay he had written for me the day before. Bill had known that I am taking a lot of classes, way above the norm, and had been way behind on my work so he decided to help. Anyway we started walking, and I began skipping down the corridor. Well to be honest, I am the most clutziest person one will ever meet in their life. I shouldn't have been shocked when I fell down the stairs, but instead of landing on the floor at the bottom, I ended up in the Library thirteen years into the past. Which might I add the Library has definitely moved by my time at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Miss. Tonks, you have a time turner I presume?"

Tonks' hand shot to her chest and pressed against the time turner. "Ouch!" Glass dug into her chest and she quickly took the necklace out of her shirt, and her face fell at what she saw. The time turner had been destroyed. The glass that held the sand was smashed, and one of the knobs was broken so that it couldn't be turned any longer. "I _had _a time turner it seems… not much use now is it?"

Remus took the remains from her hand and studied them closely, "is there no way to fix it Professor? I mean her staying here is dangerous is it not? It could alter the future completely."

Tonks grabbed the compact mirror from her pocket and scrunched up her nose. Her hair turned back into a neon pink. She hated when her hair was the black color of her family. She looked exactly like Sirius, which she would love had it not been the fact that Sirius was a boy, and it seemed to her that if they were comparing her to a boy, she looked like a boy. That did not sit well with her.

"Ah Nymphadora, you are a metamorphagus." Remus seemed to be thinking hard for a moment before his eyes, his beautiful golden eyes lit up in realization. "You are Andromeda's kid, Sirius' baby cousin!"

Tonks' face twisted, "please stop using the name my fool of a mother gave me. Tonks, if you will." Tonks shrugged, "and yeah I am Sirius' baby cousin. From what I am told I take after him, a true troublemaker."

"I am afraid Miss. Tonks that we will be unable to fix your time turner. We will have to get you a new one. We may have to wait until the new term, that way we can get you one without drawing suspicions, but I shall try my best to get you one before the students leave for summer vacation."

"So you have to obtain it illegally then," Dumbledore nodded his confirmation and Tonks grinned, "Cool!"

Dumbledore leaned forward and leant his chin on his hands, "for now I think it would be safest for you to be in the company of Mr. Lupin as much as possible. So while you will remain a Hufflepuff, your quarters will be in Gryffindor tower. There is an empty room above the boys dormitory. You will find when you are there that stuff has been provided for you. I will keep you updated, but I would not expect to have one ready for you before the ending of the year I am afraid."

Tonks nodded and stood up from her seat, Remus following her example. Holding out her hand she grasped Dumbledore's and smiled broadly, "Thank you Professor for understanding the predicament that I am in. I am very grateful for what you have provided me, and I promise to stay out of trouble as much as possible."

Dumbledore nodded, "it is not a problem at all, Miss. Tonks. Mr. Lupin, please be sure that she gets settled as quickly as possible."

Remus nodded, "will do Professor. Have a good evening."

"Enjoy your evening. I expect to see you both at dinner in an hour."

"Yes Professor," the two teenagers hurried from the office and down the spiral stairs, back into the drafty corridors.

Remus placed his hands in his pockets; his face was contorted in concentration. "So you are Sirius' baby cousin?"

Tonks grinned proudly, "Yep! Though we mustn't tell him. I will keep my hair any color except black. If I turn my hair black I will be noticed right a way as a family member of his. I look exactly like him I am told."

Remus stopped and looked her in the eyes. His hand moved up and took a strand of pink hair into his fingers. Leaning close he softly whispered in her ear. "I would never say something like that. You are way too beautiful to look anything like that Prat."

A shiver of pleasure ran down Tonks spine and she noticed that he was close enough for her to count his eyelashes. She gulped, her eyes never leaving the soft amber of his. She could feel his sweet breath on her face and her heart began racing a mile a minute. Remus chuckled darkly to himself and pulled away. Closing her eyes Tonks took in a deep breath, calming her racing heart. She felt a bit disappointed, but tried not to allow it to show on her face.

Remus smiled sweetly and gestured outside. It had stopped raining and the smell that came after a storm was left behind, drowned the castle in its scent. "Would you like to take a walk around the grounds before we head to dinner?"

Tonks grinned happy that she would be spending more time alone with him, "sure that sounds cool."

The two made their way out of the grounds in silence, Tonks asking Remus about his family, his life, basically anything she could think of. Every now and then she would look down and notice how close their hands were to touching. Her heart pounded, as she watched his hand inch slowly towards hers. She sucked in a breath as she felt his large warm hand take hold of hers gently. She looked into his eyes and felt as if she could drown in them.

Tonks squeezed Remus' hand and they walked in a comfortable silence, her head leaning on his arm. The bells inside the castle rang and the two grudgingly began to make their way back towards the castle for dinner.

To say that Tonks and Remus were the center of attention when they entered the Great Hall would be a tragic understatement. The entire Hall had become quiet and every single pair of eyes were on the two as they made their way towards the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the eyes that were on them turned to the Headmaster.

"As you all can see we have a new student joining us this year." Tonks stood up and waved ecstatically before giggling and sitting down beside Remus. "I want you all to treat her with the respect you would treat any other student. I do not want to hear about anyone threatening her. We do not want another incident like last year." About fifty of the students looked guiltily to the floor, the ones who didn't look guilty but grinned proudly were (who else) the Slythereeks… err the Slytherins.

Tonks tuned him out and turned to see whom she was sitting with. "So who is your new girlfriend, Remus?" A black haired boy with messy hair, cocky grin and glasses asked as he grabbed a spoonful of potatoes and sloshed them onto his plate.

Remus' cheeks coloured pink, "She's not my girlfriend James." He leaned close to Tonks' ear and whispered softly his sweet breath tinkling her cheek. "Who are you Love? Can't tell them you are Nymphadora Tonks, you'll give the poor guys a heart attack."

Tonks moved her head so that her lips brushed softly against his cheek, as she whispered back, "Brooke-Lynn Broer."

Remus sat up straight, his face coloured with a blush. "Guys this is Brooke-Lynn Broer." Remus smiled and slipped his hand into Tonks' under the table.

James reached his hand forward and with her other hand Tonks gripped it, "Sorry. Remus is a rude git, my name is James Potter. I am the Quidditch Captain and Head Boy around here. This small guy beside me is Peter, he won't talk much to you I am afraid, he's terrified of women." The boy she was told was Peter, leaned up and whispered in James' ear. She felt a pang in her heart knowing that in four years both these boys would be killed. "Yeah Pete, she is quite pretty, though I think Remus already got his claws into her." Remus coughed, and motioned to Sirius who was practically jumping up and down in his seat waiting to be introduced. "Ah sorry Padfoot, this here is Sirius Black. It's OK if you ignore him. He is an even bigger prat than Remus."

Remus hit his head with his palm and groaned, "oh dear god."

Sirius stood up and dramatically bowed before her. He bent on one knee and kissed her hand, "Love, your eyes burn like a thousand pixies in July."

Tonks blinked at him and pulled her hand away, "Er sorry but I am pretty sure that pixies don't burn." Sirius' face burned in embarrassment, and he grinned. Feeling sorry for saying that to her cousin in front of his friends she added, "Oh, and thank you for the compliment it made my day!"

Sirius plopped back down next to Remus, and the five teenagers spent the next hour stuffing their faces with chicken, potatoes, pumpkin pastries, ice cream and anything else they could get their hands on.

o0o

It was around Midnight when Remus and Tonks were able to get away from the other Marauder's and up to Tonks' room above the boy's dormitory. They raced up the spiral staircase after dropping the others off at their dorm, and stopped at a large mahogany door at the top. A note appeared when Tonks touched the polished handle.

_Miss. Tonks,_

_You will find everything you will need_

_in a trunk by your bed. If you need anything_

_else please let Professor McGonagall know._

_Your password for your room is_

'_Snuffaluffagus'_

_Best wishes,_

_Dumbledore_

_Ps. One final thing, your room can be decorated _

_how you wish just think of a color and what you need_

_and it will appear._

"What on earth is a Snuffaluffagus?" Remus asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

"I don't know, maybe it's a question you must ponder like, 'What the hell is a Hufflepuff?'" Remus snorted and they entered the room.

Tonks' eyes practically popped out of her head at the sight of the room. It was white, everything was white. Tonks' closed her eyes and thought of the color of Remus' eyes. When she opened them the walls, carpet and bed covers had been made the perfect amber color of Remus' iris. The wood of her canopy, dress and dresser were turned into rich mahogany, and the curtains were amber with burgundy red rose accents.

Remus nodded his head in approval, "nice." Tonks smiled, and played with a piece of her hair. She smiled shyly at him, looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

Opening the trunk beside her bed Tonks' saw four pairs of pajamas, each one a color of the Hogwarts Houses. Tonks grabbed the Hufflepuff colored ones and muttered, "_Vestimenta_." Her robes and uniform folded themselves placed into her trunk, and her pajamas pulled themselves onto her body.

"Woah, you have to teach me that trick."

Tonks grinned proudly at Remus. "It was something my Mum had taught me a while back." She frowned, "was one of the only things I ever learned to do that was practical."

Remus gave a throaty laugh, his hand running through his hair nervously. "Well, I'd best be heading to my dorm." He gestured towards the door with a swish of his hand.

"Mmm, yeah I suppose you should. It is getting quite late." Tonks nodded, and smiled softly at him. ""I'll see you tomorrow, maybe."

"Most likely." Remus smiled at her nervously and and laughed softly. "I almost don't want to go. You know as soon as I get there I will be bombarded with questions... I may have to suffocate Sirius. he is the worse out of all of them you know?"

Tonks laughed. "From the stories I have heard that wouldn't come as quite a big surprise." Tonks thought for a moment, her finger tapping her chin. "I give you permission to suffocate him in the middle of the night if he bothers you too much."

Remus' mouth opened in mock astonishment, "Tonks! I could never do that! That is way less then he could possibly deserve!"

Tonks laughed, biting her lip against the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "Well at least fantasize about it."

"I assure you it would be my pleasure."

Tonks laughed, opening her door and pushing him out. "Now go! I need my beauty rest."

"Someone as beautiful as you doesn't need it."

Tonks blushed, and she held her breath. Afraid that one of the butterflies flying in her stomach would break free and expose her nervousness, "Goodnight, Remus."

"Goodnight, Nymphadora," Remus waved and slowly made his decent down the stairs.

Tonks sighed happily, and hiccuped up a butterfly. For in the wizarding world when you have butterflies in your stomach, it is much more than a silly expression.

**To be continued...**


	2. Ah Potions Class

_**Previously on Amber Sheets**_

_Tonks laughed. "From the stories I have heard that wouldn't come as quite a big surprise." Tonks thought for a moment, her finger tapping her chin. "I give you permission to suffocate him in the middle of the night if he bothers you too much."_

_Remus' mouth opened in mock astonishment, "Tonks! I could never do that! That is way less then he could possibly deserve!"_

_Tonks laughed, biting her lip against the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "Well at least fantasize about it."_

_"I assure you it would be my pleasure."_

_Tonks laughed, opening her door and pushing him out. "Now go! I need my beauty rest."_

_"Someone as beautiful as you doesn't need it."_

_Tonks blushed and she held her breath, afraid that one of the butterflies flying in her stomach would break free and expose her nervousness, "Goodnight Remus."_

_"Goodnight Tonks," Remus waved and slowly made his descent down the stairs._

_Tonks sighed happily, and hiccuped up a butterfly. For in the wizarding world when you have butterflies in your stomach, it is much more than a silly expression._

**Chapter Two**

**Ah Potions Class, What Would we do Without Thee?**

Tonks stood in front of her dresser mirror, her face scrunched up as she changed her hair. First it was waist length and black, but no, that idea was thrown away, she grudgingly had to admit, she did look like Sirius that way. Then she made her hair shoulder length and electric blue, she liked it but decided that would have been better suited had she been a Ravenclaw. Sighing she settled with short, bright pink hair, and her natural blue, gray eyes. "Well I guess if I had to choose, this look is the one I can stand being with the longest," she sighed.

Walking over to her trunk laying open beside her bed, Tonks looked in and grabbed out her uniform from under a few muggle clothes that had been placed on top. Instead of the cool gray skirt, thick stockings and white button down shirt that she wore in her time, there was a cool gray button down dress that flared out as her skirts had at the waist. It was slightly shorter than what she was used to, but she supposed it would have to do. Tonks had always been a bit more curvier than most girls her age anyway. She pulled on the black thigh-highs adorned with a small gold bow that she had found under the dress on, and slipped into her black sneakers. Grabbing her tie, she threw it over her head and fixed it under her dresses collar. "Hmm not too bad," Tonks murmured to herself. She twisted to the left, the right and then checked herself out from the back. "It's actually pretty cute."

Turning away from her mirror, Tonks clapped her hands together and began to scan her room for what she would need that day. '_Parchment? Check. Quills? Check. Ink? Check. Sunglasses so the teachers have no idea I am sleeping in class? No check, but that would be so awesome. Potions book? Ch-... where on earth is my potions book?' _Tonks glared around the room looking for the olive green, black spined potions book she had been given yesterday evening. '_ah, there's the little bugger.' _Tonks' expression brightened, and she grabbed the book from the bottom of the stack of textbooks that were leaning precariously on the edge of a large bookcase to the right of her window. Standing on her tip toes, Tonks bit her lip and reached as high as she could. "almost got it... almost got it, ah ha! Victory is MINE!" Tonks' look of triumph turned into a look of pain when the rest of her textbooks bumped her on the head, one by one, "ow, ow, ow, ow, OW. SON OF A FREAKING BRAINDEAD BANSHEE!" Tonks groaned and fell to her knees, her hands clutching her head. Her potions book sat innocently beside her, a symbol of peace and non-violence.

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Nymphadora?" _Knock, knock, knock. "_Nymphadora?" _Knock, knock, knock. "_Nymphadora?" Tonks groaned and weakly lifted herself to her feet, grabbing her potions book on the way up. She threw the book onto her bed and rubbed her head where a prominent bump was beginning to form on the top. Opening her door she was greeted by the bright smile and soft amber eyes of Remus Lupin. Leaning against the wall, his hair gently tussled, his arms crossed in front of his bare muscular chest, dark gray uniform pants running low on his waist, it was difficult for Tonks not to stare at him.

"Ah, morning Remus." Her breath seemed caught in her throat, and suddenly Tonks found it a bit difficult to breathe. Suddenly feeling self conscious, Tonks rubbed her hands down her school dress, inwardly hoping she looked at least half way decent. The abrupt urge she felt to look decent confused her as normally she would throw on any old thing from her floor, put it on, then happily be on her way. "Er, so what brings you to my humble abode?" Tonks was looking at a spot just left of Remus' ear, trying exceedingly hard not to stare as his chest, his strong muscular looking chest, which rose and fell gently with each breath he took.

Remus ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, his cheeks growing a bit red. "I-I thought I would walk you down to the Great Hall." Tonks looked at his face, smiling gently, feeling a bit more confident at his reaction.

"Ah thank you! Just let me get my stuff and we can go." Remus looked relieved at Tonks shoved her potions book into her bag and buckled the brown bag shut. Grabbing her robes from where she had thrown them the night before, Tonks pulled them on and made her way out the door and began to fix her robes, having gotten tangled in the mess from trying to put them on with one free arm. Remus pulled the back down, and her hood out from where it was causing a unsightly bump between her shoulder blades. Finally her robes behaved and Tonks reached down to grab her bag only to notice that it was not there. She looked up at Remus questioningly, and saw that her bag was hanging quite comfortably on his shoulder.

"What?" He asked innocently, shaking his long hair out of his eyes he smiled.

Tonks blinked and held her hand out, "my bag?"

Remus seemed to ponder her question for a moment before nodding, "yes I suppose this is your bag."

Tonks blinked again and held out her hand again, "may I have it?"

Remus shook his head, "nope." Placing his hands in his pockets, he began his descent down the stairs to the common rooms.

Tonks remained there, her hand still out stretched as she watched him walk down the stairs, "but..but..bag?"

Tutting Remus looked back and yelled up, "we are going to be late if we don't get a move on."

Sighing Tonks followed him down the stairs, wondering just what her first day in this new world had in store for her, and silently hoping that it held a lot of Remus Lupin.

o0o

Tonks slumped in her seat in the potions classroom. If the dark interior of the stone cold dungeon wasn't enough to put her into the slumber, the fumes wafting from the cauldron's bubbling happily on the desks sure were. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was bad at potions, that the place made her skin and hair unbearably greasy, and it certainly had nothing to do with her talent of knocking over tables and chairs that were innocently there. No, certainly these things had nothing to do with her sudden exhaustion. What did however was the innocent looking tawny haired boy that sat next to her, scribbling down notes as if his life depended on it. Tonks snorted, remembering the stories her cousin used to tell her at night.

"_Yeah Nympha, Remus is terrible at potions! He is so good at everything else, you would never think he could be so bad. But he is." A twelve year old Sirius giggled and nodded his head, "I swear, he found a way to make his eyebrows disappear!"_

Tonks chuckled at the memory, "you know. As hard as you may try to take notes Remus, that will not help you when it comes time to make an actual potion." Tonks placed her elbow on the desk and rested her chin on her hand as she watched him, amusement fluttering across her face. "I mean the stories about you are legend." Remus turned bright red, but otherwise made no indication that he had heard her, still writing feverishly on the piece of parchment in front of him. Bored Tonks surveyed her classmates around her as Professor Slughorn continued to drone on about the importance of keeping their eyes and minds focused on their potion. Yeah cause that was going to happen.

James and Sirius had their heads pressed together, Tonks raised her eyebrows, it was obvious the boys were conversing about something completely different then the anti-age potion they will be making in class that day. 'W_orking on an idea for one of their infamous pranks I suppose.' _Shaking her head, Tonks stood up and went to the front of the room, following her fellow students to the ingredients cabinet. Tonks waited patiently at the back of the line, waiting for the others to get their stuff, her feeling it safer for everyone if there was as little people as possible around her as she collected ingredients.

When it was finally her time to collect the potions ingredients, she had just stood there and stared having no clue as to what she needed for the potion. Looking helplessly at the black board she noticed that the notes had already been erased. Picking up a bottle of puss Tonks glanced at it, trying to find out if the lack of puss was because the class was using it, or was just there. A hand reached in front of her and grabbed a bottle of newt eyes, a bottle of cherry stems, scorpion tails, and willow tree leaves. "If you put that in our potion you will kill us all, Dora. Surely one of your _extensive expertise _in this subject would know that." Tonks blew up her cheeks, and stomped on Remus' foot with the heel of her shoe.

"Ow, meanie! What have I, innocent little Remus, ever done to you!" Remus faked hurt, and reached over her to collect the tools they would need for the potion, "And FYI, just because it is of absolute no help to me when making the potion, taking notes does aid me in not looking like a window licking hamster when getting ingredients." Remus stuck his tongue out at her, and Tonks glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"I did _not _look like a window licking hamster!" Remus pondered it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"OK maybe not a window licking hamster, but definitely one of those confused puppies that you see with their heads cocked to the side because they cant catch their tails." Tonks stood there shell shocked, unable to think of an appropriate comeback, and watched as Remus made his way back to their seats, arms heavily laden with their ingredients and pointy tools.

"Brooke-lynn, what are you waiting for! Get back to your seat girl and start your potion." Tonks ignored him until she noticed that Slughorn had been speaking to her.

'_Ah right, my name is Brooke-Lynn, have to remember that.' _Tonks cleared her throat and smiled sweetly at Slughorn, "Terribly sorry, Sir. Just got distracted by all the awesome ingredients in the cabinet." Slughorn grumbled something about students always looking for a way to waste time, and pointed to her seat. Careful of her footing, Tonks made her way back to her seat beside Remus, "Just so you know, Remus. Be sure to look out for your owl, because when I come up with a comeback, and trust me, when I do come up with one it will knock your socks off, I will be sure to owl it to you."

Remus snorted and began mashing the willow leaves, "Hey, split open these scorpion tails and place the excrement in this jar." Tonks shrugged, and grabbed a knife. She gently began to slice the tails in half, and pour the contents into a jar. Or at least that was the plan before the sound of a screaming girl came from behind her and caused her to pour it onto the table.

"Muggle Fucking Troll Shit!" Tonks and Remus turned around to see a shocked Lily Evans with a hand over her mouth, her eyes opened wide in shock.

Slughorn's eyes bulged from out of his head, "Miss Evans! I expect that kind of language from Mr. Black and Mr. Potter, and at times ever from Mr. Lupin," this caused Remus to blush a bit. Remus being total crap at potions was not the only thing he was famous for after all. Tonks snorted and shook her head before raising her eyebrows at Lily. She had never had the chance to meet the girl before her untimely death, but from the stories she heard, Lily never cursed. She was a good girl, who fell for the bad boy gone good James Potter after seven long years of his failing to woo her. "What has gotten into you, girl?"

Lily slowly took her hands away from her mouth, "Professor, I am so sorry."

Slughorn nodded, "Its OK, dear, you are under a lot of pressure with your NEWTS, I understand. Just make sure to not let it happen again."

"I am Sorry Professor," Lily looked down ashamed. She whispered something inaudible.

"What was that, Miss. Evans?"

Lily looked up, "I am sorry, you are such a Blasted-ended skank." Lily slammed her hand over her mouth and shook her head, "Cauldron Bum! I didn't mean to, Professor, I swear! I can't seem to control myself!" Lily threw her hands up in defeat, "Oh Son of a Banshee!"

As Slughorn reprimanded Lily for her language, Tonks took it upon herself to survey the class. As she scanned, she could see that everyone was in shock at the display, that is, except for the two black haired boys behind her. One looked pained, like he was going to die on the spot, and the other. The other was laughing, his laughter only growing as the boy beside him glared at him, promising a very bloody death.

Tonks rolled her eyes, oh she should have known. "What on earth did you guys do to her?" Remus looked at Tonks confused and then realization hit him.

"Wasn't me." Remus shrugged and leaned back on his hands, watching as Slughorn yelled at Lily. "But boy does James look as if he is about to blow. My guess is they both began the prank, but Sirius is the one that slipped it to Miss. Evans." Remus chuckled amused.

Tonks tilted her head to the side, "what on earth can you possibly be laughing about?"

Remus shrugged and pointed, "just thinking about the fact that for once Snape gets a break and still he looks pissed as fuck."

Tonks followed his finger and noticed that indeed Snape looked ready to kill, "EEE. I haven't seen him that pissed since Bill and I blew up half his classroom in third year."

Remus snorted, "Snape's your teacher?" A group of people looked at them weirdly, before rolling their eyes at them and turning back to Lily, who was still cursing.

"SHHH!" Tonks grabbed his sleeve roughly and placed a finger against her lips, "are you freaking insane! Someone could hear you!" Remus shook with silent mirth, and shook his head.

"Sorry, it's just, Snape is a freaking teacher? What? Were all the Dementer jobs taken at Azkaban?"

Tonks covered her mouth and giggled, "that's awful!"

Remus snickered, "ah looks like Lily's being kicked out."

Slughorn had Lily grabbed from the back of her robes and he was bodily dragging her from the classroom. "oh Voldemort's nipple let me go!" Lily fought against his hold.

Slughorn turned and motioned to Sirius and James, "both of you! Take Miss. Evans to the infirmary. And both of you will be serving two weeks detention with me for whatever it is you managed to slip to Miss. Evans." Slughorn studied the struggling, curing Evans in his hands, "though I must admit. What you did is quite impressive potions work and I shall award Gryffindor 30 points for sheer genius. "Now go! Get this girl fixed up before she curses out the wrong person."

James and Sirius each grabbed an arm and dragged Lily from the room, "yes, Sir." Sirius stood in the door, "Sir, I am hurt that you just automatically assume that it was me and James that would do this to innocent, little Evans."

Slughorn crossed his arms and glared at him, "Go Mr. Black, before I make it four weeks detention."

Sirius saluted him and let the door slam shut behind him. "Professor, do you honestly think that it could have been anyone else?"

Slughorn shrugged, "honestly, Parkinson. I couldn't give a Flop doodle."

Tonks and Remus laughed, and turned back to their now ruined potion. Remus felt a tug on his shoulder and noticed Peter looking up at him with big eyes. "Ah sorry, Pete. Whats the matter?"

Peter stood on his tip toes and whispered into Remus ear. Remus laughed and gave Peter a one armed hug, "Peter said, 'Good Afternoon Tonks.'" Tonks laughed as Peter gave a shy little wave.

"Hey Sweetie, good afternoon." Peter blushed, gave a bashful smile back, and went back to his potion happily. Tonks leaned close to Remus' ear, "Why is he unable to speak to me directly?"

Remus touched the back of his head and shrugged, "haven't a clue. He is unable to talk to girls for as long as I knew him."

"Ah."

Remus laughed darkly, "don't worry. We all have our quirks in the group."

The sound of the classroom door opening, caught Tonks' attention and she saw that both boys had returned with an angry Lily in their wake. She watched as Sirius sat down in the left seat, and though it would have been easier for James to take the seat on the right seeing as it what was closest to him, he pushed Sirius off the left seat and promptly sat his bum down on the seat. Sirius looked up at James and crossed his arms childishly from his spot on the floor. James raised his eyebrows and shrugged nonchalantly, "you were in my seat... the left seat is always mine."

Sirius looked to Remus and Peter for help, but Peter just shrugged and Remus mimicked the same gesture. "You should know better than to sit in his seat, what do you think? You're not new you know what a nutcase James is about his damn seat."

Raising her eyebrows again and biting her tongue Tonks turned away from Sirius on the floor, "Wow."

"Yeah," Remus nodded. He banished their ruined potion and began pouring the scorpion tail excrement into the cauldron with the willow tree leaves. There was a bit of bubbling, before the entire potion exploded , spraying them and anyone within ten feet with a rainbow of sticky goo. "They are both bat-crap crazy."

Tonks sighed and wiped the disgusting goo out of her eyes and chucked it at the floor, "Yeah.."

**To be continued**

**NEXT TIME ON AMBER SHEETS;**

_"She... shes driving me insane! I can't sleep, I can't eat! My whole train of thought revolves around her! What am I going to do?"_

_Peter watched as his friend paced feverishly in their dorm room. "Well you could be a man and tell her how you feel."_

_Remus threw his hands up in the air, "are you freaking insane!"_

_James bit into a chocolate frogs head, before throwing the rest at a seal hugging Sirius. "yeah Pete. I mean going up to her room pretending that an owl miss-delivered her mail is a much better idea."_

_Sirius bit the leg off the frog and threw it towards Pete, before looking at his seal. "Seth says your attempt at coitus with the new girl is deplorable and you should leave the coitusing to a person who can actually handle it."_

_Remus blushed, slapping his hand against his forehead. "Oh my god."**  
**_


	3. A Deal of A Lifetime

Previously on Amber Sheets:

_Raising her eyebrows again and biting her tongue Tonks turned away from Sirius on the floor, "Wow."_

"_Yeah," Remus nodded. He banished their ruined potion and began pouring the scorpion tail excrement into the cauldron with the willow tree leaves. There was a bit of bubbling before the entire potion exploded , spraying them and anyone within ten feet with a rainbow of sticky goo. "They are both bat-crap crazy." _

_Tonks sighed and wiped the disgusting goo out of her eyes and chucked it at the floor, "Yeah.."_

**Chapter Three**

**A Deal of a Lifetime**

"She... she's driving me insane! I can't sleep, I can't eat. My whole train of thought revolves around her! What am I going to do?"

Peter watched as his friend paced feverishly in their dorm room. Remus' hands were shaking as they ran through his hair, pulling roughly at the roots. "Well you could just be a man and tell her how you feel."

Remus threw his hands up in the air, and rounded on Peter. "Are you freaking insane! Then she would know how I feel! I can't have her knowing how I feel!"

James bit into a chocolate frogs head, before throwing the rest at a seal-hugging Sirius. "Yeah Wormy. I mean going up to her room pretending that an owl miss-delivered her mail is a much better idea."

Sirius bit the leg off the frog and threw it towards Peter, before looking at his seal. "Seth says your attempt at coitus with the new girl is deplorable and you should leave the coitusing to a person who can actually handle it."

Remus laughed darkly, "Oh please. The only thing you have ever been close to coitusing was Seth!"

Sirius' face turned outraged, and he covered Seth's ears. "How dare you! Seth is a virgin, and he plans to stay that way for a good while." Sirius leaned towards Seth, "what? What do you mean you are no longer a virgin Seth?" Sirius moved the seal next to his head, his expression growing darker. Placing Seth on his pillow, Sirius got up and stalked towards Peter's bed his arms crossed against his chest. "Wormtail, why is Seth telling me your snow leopard Oktober and he fornicated?"

Peter looked at Sirius like he was insane, "I haven't a bloody clue seeing as they are _stuffed animals_ and are unable to talk or fornicate."

Remus and James gasped, hands covering their mouths. There was one thing you _never _did. You never _ever_ called Sirius' stuffed seal a stuffed animal... it lead to very unpleasant consequences. Sirius pointed at Peter accusingly, " OBJECTION! Prongs did you hear him! Wormtail called Seth the S-word!"

James stood beside Sirius and shook his head towards Peter, "why? Why would you use the S-word in front of Sirius? You know how much it upsets him!"

"Moony this is insane, surely you agree with me?" Peter asked looking at Remus hopefully.

"I swear I could throw a freaking rock and come up with three better friends," Remus muttered to himself. "Ok. Wormtail you will apologize to Padfoot for using the S-word. I realize that you do not exactly accept the fact that Pads talks to Seth, but you should at least respect his decision to do so." Remus held up his hand when Peter opened his mouth to interrupt. "Pads, you will apologize to Wormy. It is not his fault that Seth and Oktober had coitus oK? Seth and Oktober are old enough to make that decision for themselves, and you scolding Seth for it will only push him away." Sirius and Peter looked down ashamed.

Peter and Sirius looked up at each other ashamed, "I am sorry." Peter gave Sirius a small smile and Sirius grinned opening his arms for a hug. Peter laughed, standing up to pull Sirius into a hug.

Remus nodded, "very good. Now can we get back to my problem please?"

"Why not invite her to our yearly picnic?" James suggested, laying back on his bed. His socked feet slide absentmindedly against the headboard, as he stared longingly at the picture of Lily Evans he kept on his bedside table.

Remus tilted his head in consideration for a moment, "you know Prongs, that may not be too bad of an idea. You guys would have to bring girls too though, it would be awkward if she would be the only girl."

Sirius ran a hand through his long black hair thoughtfully, "I could ask Marlene McKinnon out. I have had my eye on her for a while."

James nodded, "yes you do that! Wormy," Peter jumped when James called his name, afraid of what his friend could suddenly be so hyper about. "You can ask Dorcas Meadowes! You see that way, Lily will have to come with us to the picnic because her only two friends will be there!"

Peter nodded as James talked, "yeah that is all well and good Prongs, and while I would hate to burst the metaphorical bubble that is your happiness, I can't talk to women. How on earth do you expect me to talk to Dorcas if all I can do is stutter and sweat at her?"

James' metaphorical bubble burst, and along with it went his moment of happiness. "Aw pickles, I was sure that would have worked."

Remus folded his arms across his chest and leaned against Peter's bed post, "it would have worked. If Wormtail wasn't afraid of girls."

Sirius snapped his fingers, "if I can get Marlene to go out with me, I can get her to drag Dorcas with her!" The three other boys looked at each other and considered their options, and after a lot of consideration they came to the conclusion that there was no other options.

Remus sighed, suddenly feeling less confident in their plan. "Worth a try I guess. When will you try Padfoot?"

A grin on his face, and his fist clutched determinedly he answered. "I strike tomorrow at breakfast!"

o0o

Sirius struck out with Marlene. It had to be one of the most painful rejections Remus had ever seen, literally. Boils covered every inch of Sirius' body, and he was afraid to sit down in fear of rupturing any of them. "Are you sure you don't want to go to Madam Pomphrey Sirius." Remus winced towards him, watching as his friend moved painfully from one foot to the other.

"No I'm fine," Sirius muttered through gritted teeth. "I just don't see where I went wrong!"

Remus looked up at his friend through his eyelashes and pointed his milk covered spoon at him, "really? You really haven't a clue as to what you did wrong?"

"No."

Remus waved at James, turning his attention back to his porridge. "Prongs recap!"

James tapped his wand against the wood of a table and a transparent screen appeared in front of them. A foot by a foot in diameter. "Exhibit One," James presented, pointing towards the screen.

Sirius stared at the screen confused, "that is just me getting out of bed."

James scrunched up his eyes, and nodded, his face wrinkled in slight disgust. "I am aware, that's the point. You jumped out of bed, barely combed your hair, put on no cologne or deodorant, and you expected her to say yes?"

"Of course, this is me we are talking about."

James tapped the table again, the scene changed to Sirius walking behind Marlene commenting on her 'banging ass'. "As much as you believe it is a compliment, commenting on a girls ass, or her chest is not the way to get a date. It makes it seem that all you are after is her body, makes her feel like a piece of ass instead of someone you are generally interested in getting to know and forming a relationship with." Remus explained, not even bothering to look up from his food.

"Maybe all I want is to get in her pants, maybe I don't want a relationship." Sirius counted, wincing as one of his boils ruptured in a particularly painful spot.

"Be that as it may, you need to at least pretend you want to date her."

James tapped the table and the final scene popped up on the screen, "and last but definitely not least. You do not under any circumstances ask a girl out when your head is sticking out of her bowl of porridge."

"Oh come on! That was cute... wasn't it?" James and Remus both shook their heads, and with a final tap the screen disappeared.

"Aww Prongs, it was getting to the best part!" Peter complained as he walked up to the group, throwing his bag under the table and plopping down beside Remus, "Pads was about to get the boils all over his body!"

"Once was enough!" Sirius snapped at him, whimpering as a boil on his nose throbbed threateningly. "And of you guys are so much better at asking out girls why don't you go and do it?"

James stood up and grabbed Peter's arm, pulling him up. "I will, right after Wormtail does."

"I thought Sirius was going to ask her for me!" Peter protested, "I can't talk to girls!"

Remus pulled a small vial out of his pocket and handed it to Peter. The vial was small and held a bright purple coloured liquid in it. "Wormy this is Felix Felicis, drink this and this will give you luck."

James and Sirius looked at Remus questioningly, knowing full well that there was no way Remus could have gotten his hands on something that powerful, and rare. Remus bit his lip and shook his head slightly at them, warning them not to say a word about it. Peter glanced at the bottle, "this will give me the confidence to talk to Dorcas?"

Remus nodded, "but only drink a little of it," he warned.

Peter studied the bottle for a long time, his friends holding their breaths beside him. Shrugging and deciding that Remus would never give his friends anything that could potentially harm them, Peter popped the cork and took a swig from the small vial.

Remus gently took the vial from his small friends hand and recorked it, slipping it back into his front robe pocket. James and Sirius leaned forward slightly to examine Peter. "So Wormtail, you feel any different?"

Peter shook his head, "no not really. Are you sure it works?"

Remus smiled reassuringly, "Wormtail yes I am sure. Would I have given it to you if I wasn't?"

"No," Peter looked around the table and spotted Dorcas and her friends sitting at the other end of the Gryffindor table. "Shall I go try?"

Sirius, James and Remus nodded reassuringly. Feeling a bit more confident with his friends approval, Peter stood and took a deep breath. "Wish me luck!" The three boys flashed him a thumbs up, and watched their friend walk away from them and to his doom.

"Moony that wasn't the Felix Felicis," James stated. "For one it is supposed to be a molten gold colour."

"Prongs I am perfectly aware of the color the potion is supposed to be, but I was running out of ideas and it isn't like Worm is in Advanced Potions with us." Remus folded his hands and placed his chin atop of them, watching Peter as he stopped nervously in front of Dorcas.

Peter pulled at his hair nervously and he was stuttering, but Dorcas did not look as if she was going to attack him anytime soon, so Remus took that as a good sign. "They don't seem to be on the attack."

James and Sirius nodded, "yeah they look relaxed even. Maybe Peter will succeed."

Suddenly Peter was slapped, and he ran back to his friends. Remus opened his arms and Peter whimpered at him. "Peter what happened!" Remus exclaimed, moving his friends hand gently away from the slap mark on his face, so he could examine it better. "Not too bad, here put this on it. It'll help with the swelling." Remus conjured up a cold rag and handed it to his friend.

Peter accepted the glass of water James handed him, and then he began to explain what happened. "Well, it had started off well. I mean I was nervous and stuttered a bit, but then I asked her and she said yes!"

"Well obviously that yes turned into a no pretty fast," Sirius commented, "unless slaps are now the new was of accepting dates."

"Yeah well then I had asked Marlene and Lily if they would like to come with us to our picnic, and well... I got hit... they really hate you guys."

"Oh Peter I am sorry," Remus said, rubbing his hand over his friends back. "There will be other dates... James where are you going?"

"I refuse to be rejected if I haven't even asked her out yet!" James stalked over to the girls, his friends following him with their gaze, wide eyed. "Listen you! You can put boils on my friend, and you can slap the other innocent little one that had done nothing to any of you, but you cannot turn me down when I haven't even asked you out yet!"

Lily stood up and glared at James, "is this you asking me out now?"

"Yes, Lily Evans will you accompany me to the Marauder's Seventh Annual Picnic?"

"You know James for Head Boy you really aren't that bright. I wouldn't go with you if it was a choice between kissing you or a dementor."

James pondered his options for a moment, before deciding there was one last plan of action he had yet to try. Getting on his knees and clasping his hands together, he began to beg, "please, please, please, please, please go with me?"

Not even bothering to listen, her still being upset over her being forced to curse out the entire potions class due to one of the Marauder's stupid pranks, Lily pointed her wand at James and muttered a spell. James' head became smaller and smaller until it could barely be seen on his shoulders, "Maybe now that your head has been deflated, you can get some sense into that pea brain of yours. I will not go out with you, I will never go out with you, so stop asking me and leave me alone!"

Defeated, James and his little head made their way slowly back to his friends. In a voice that sounds as if he had sucked in helium he said, "I think now is a good time to visit Madam Pomphrey... my head wasn't the only thing she shrunk."

Sirius nodded in agreement, "yeah."

With the two most injured leading the way, the Marauder's left the Great Hall, Remus feeling that if James, Sirius and Peter all struck out, there was no way that he could ever get a date with Tonks.

o0o

"Ugh," Remus muttered to himself as he crossed out a few lines and changed them. "It's still not perfect yet." Throwing down his quill, Remus leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his weary face. It was almost midnight and he was still in the library, when he should now be snuggling into his warm bed and falling asleep.

A bat-like movement to his right caught Remus' attention and he glanced up to see Severus Snape sitting casually on the chair adjacent to him. "Oh not you," Remus complained. He lifted himself further back into his chair and propped his elbows onto the library table. "What on earth could you possibly want from my life?"

Snape raised his eyebrows, "Can't I sit here with one of my classmates, without having an ulterior motive?"

"If it was any other person I would say of course," Remus said dryly. "But this is you we are talking about, and you hate me."

Snape cocked his head to the side, "I don't _hate_ you per say. I just don't like being almost killed by you."

Remus folded his arms across his chest and glared at Snape, "What do you want Snape?"

Sighing Snape pulled a article from the Daily Prophet from his bag and slipped it in front of Remus. "Have you seen this yet?"

"Isn't that the article about the wolfsbane potion they had in the Prophet a few days ago?" A moments longer glance confirmed his suspicions. Shaking his head, Remus handed the paper back to Snape, "Ok what is your point?"

"I thought you would be fully interested in this development, seeing your condition." Snape shoved the piece of paper back into his book bag, and threw his bag onto the floor beside him. He studied Remus through critical eyes, "you don't even seem to care."

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly feeling a migraine coming on. "It isn't that I don't care, but do you realize how much one supply of it costs? The price they are asking, it is impossible for any werewolf to get that amount of money. They are just tormenting us with it."

Snape crossed his legs and folded his arms, "so your family already checked into it?"

Remus nodded, "yeah. I was one of the wolves they tested it on, works wonderfully the stuff. I was able to curl up in my bedroom over the summer and just sleep the entire time. Like I said though, no matter how amazing the stuff is, we can't afford it. Did you come to rub it in my face?"

Snape shook his head, "no actually. I want to make you an offer."

Remus watched Snape suspiciously, "what type of offer are you talking about Snape."

Snape chuckled softly, "such confidence you have in me." Remus glared hardly at Snape, his hand inching towards his wand on the table. Snape held up his hands, "I will make you the potion."

Remus' hand paused above his wand, his mouth opened, and his eyes bulging. "I-I am sorry _what?"_

Snape smiled, knowing he now got Remus' attention. "I will make you the wolfsbane potion."

"A-are you serious!" Remus' eyes narrowed, "ok seriously what is the catch?"

Snape smiled wickedly at Remus, "simple. You have to help me win over Lily."

"Evans!" Remus stood and slammed his hands on the table. "Are you freaking insane? James has been after her since, god, first year! How can you ask me to betray my friend like that? Besides don't you think it'll be quite impossible for you to win her over, she absolutely loathes you now!"

Snape, "a small technicality I am sure you can fix. That is of course if you want the potion?"

Remus held his breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. "I-I need to think about this."

Snape grabbed his bag and stood up from his chair, "think about it hard Lupin. I expect an answer by midnight tomorrow, or I will assume the deal is off."

Remus plopped back into his chair, his hands running through his hair. He pulled at the roots trying to get his thoughts straight. "What am I going to do? On one hand with them there during my transformations, it isn't so bad. On the other, this is our last year. There is no guarantee that we will be able to continue this after we graduate, that potion may be all I have. On one foot James is my best friend, I can't just betray him like that because it would make my transformations more comfortable for me. But on the other foot, it isn't as if he has had any luck with Lily, it's been almost seven years."

Remus stood and quietly gathered his things. Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Remus made his way back towards Gryffindor Tower, the piece of parchment with his poem falling to the floor forgotten. Confusion and Pain fighting in his mind.

Tonks held her breath as Remus passed her hiding place a book shelve away from where he and Snape had their fated conversation. Tonks watched Remus' back descend from the library, and when the click of the library door could be heard, Tonks left her hiding place. Careful not to be caught by anyone, Tonks tripped over a chair, and shushed it as the sound echoed through the library. "Are you trying to get me kicked out?"

Tonks paused, making sure she disturbed no one and continued to the table. Sitting in the chair that had been occupied my Remus not five minutes prior. Tonks tapped the table and gently the voices of Snape and Remus filled her ears. Her eyes widened in realization, when the news of Remus being a werewolf came to her eyes, but quickly her shock turned into hated anger at what Snape was having Remus do. "How dare he?" Tonks muttered angrily to herself, tapping the table below her more roughly then needed.

The wand fell from her hand and clattered deafeningly to the floor. "Crap," leaning down Tonks blindly began to reach for her wand. Her hand had found her wand and she grinned, her face turned confused at the feel of rough parchment under her fingertips. Bringing up the parchment with her wand, Tonks distractedly placed her wand on the table. Her eyes glued to the parchment in her hand.

Remus' smooth handwriting met her eyes, and she felt compelled to read what he had wrote. Her eyes softened, and a small blush met her features. "Remus."

_I admire you from a distance,_

_the grace you possess is gorgeous._

_Even from far away,_

_my heart stops when I see your face._

_No one has ever encountered,_

_the beauty that is you._

_My eyes burn with desire,_

_when they catch sight of your appearance._

_Every single night I dream of you,_

_I can feel you in my arms._

_The day that this will happen,_

_my fairytale comes true._

_I adore everything about you._

_your scent, your facial expressions, every movement you make,_

_They are all imprinted in my mind._

_As your name is engraved on my heart._

_I am too shy to tell you._

_But I want you to know,_

_how madly in love I am with you._

_Please make my dreams come true,_

_Nymphadora._

**To Be Continued...**

Next Time on Amber Sheets:

"_How could you!" Tonks screamed at Severus Snape, her wand pointing at his throat. "How could you play with Remus' feelings, his loyalty to James!" Tears fell from her eyes, and she panted, her breath coming out in small clouds from the cold in dungeon corridor. "Lily and James die in a few years. How can you just rip the Marauder's apart like that, when they haven't a lot of time left together!" Tonks slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in realization in what she just revealed to him._

_Snape glared into her eyes, sparks of confusion shining in his black ones. "What did you just say?"_

Fun Fact:

Did you know that: **Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus** (the motto under the Hogwarts crest) means: Never tickle a sleeping dragon.


	4. Of Decisions and Friendships

**Chapter Four:**

**Of Decisions and Friendships  
**

Wind whipped through Remus' hair like a constant array of bullets. Rain poured down upon him, causing his robes to heavily weigh him down as he walked the Hogwarts grounds. Remus didn't notice any of these things, though, he was to lost in his own thoughts. Even if he had noticed, you could bet that he wouldn't care; not when he had a huge decision to make.

Steadily, he climbed, making his way towards the quidditch pitch stands. He knew that was the last place (if his friends even considered it a place) he would be. The echo of a whistle in the distance warned him of a team practice, but one glance told him that the player's zooming above him were the Ravenclaw team.

What he didn't notice however, until far too late, was that Sirius was on the bleachers and was now making his way towards him.

Remus wondered if he had enough time to walk away and just pretend that he didn't see the dog Animagi, when his friends hand touched his shoulder. "Remus, what on earth are you doing out here! Look at you, you're completely soaked!"

"I came out here to think!" Remus screamed towards him, the wind blocking out most of his words even though they were no more than two feet apart.

Sirius pulled long wet strands of his black hair out of his eyes, and squinted towards Remus. "What is there to think about!"

"What was that about trout?" At Sirius' confused look Remus grabbed his friends sleeve, and dragged him under the bleachers. The pitter patter of the raindrops on the tarp was still deafening to the ears, but at least they were no longer getting pelted by the wind and ice cold rain. Muttering a drying spell on their clothes, the two boys sighed in relief at the sudden dryness it provided. Sirius leaned down and shook the rain from his hair, before throwing his head back and tying his hair away from his face. "Rem, what is there to think about?"

"Nothing," Remus said defiantly, rain droplets running down the length of his face. Sirius glared at his friend and folded his arms across his chest.

"Lies."

Remus sighed and sat down at his friends feet. With his hands placed firmly on the ground behind his back, Remus leaned so that he had a perfect view of Sirius from his seat. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because you are my best friend, and we always tell each other everything." It was a simple answer, probably the same exact one he would have given had the situation been reversed.

"I am not your best friend, James is." Remus recognized the shimmer of determination in Sirius' eyes, and knew he could reel the boy into a argument.

"Fine, you are my second best friend."

"Oh. You think I am going to tell you now, after you tell me I am only your second best friend?"

"Remus!" Sirius' voice was final. He wanted answers, and he refused to stop until he got what he wanted.

Remus sighed, defeated. "Fine!"

"Don't you curse at me, Remus John Lupin!"

Remus looked up incredulously, "when did I curse at you!"

"You said fine!"

"Yeah so?"

"Fine doesn't mean fine. Fine means fuck you!"

"What the hell are you talking about!"

"I..." Sirius paused for a moment trying to think about what his point had been, "I don't know!"

Remus chuckled, "Then shut up and let me tell you!"

Sticking out his tongue, Sirius plopped down onto the floor beside Remus. "Fine!"

"Fuck you too!"

Remus and Sirius burst into uncontrollable laughter, their faces turning red. Taking a few calming breaths, the boys calmed down and the atmosphere turned serious. Sirius moved so he was in front of Remus, and studied his friend's face.

Remus looked exhausted, as if he didn't get any sleep the night before. Remus' normally sparkling eyes were red, puffy and seemingly clouded. In short, Remus did not look good. "Remus, be straight up with me, what's going on? You know I will help you out, no matter the situation."

Remus rubbed his left arm where a small tattoo laid. The image was black and white, a wolf surrounded by a dog, rat and stag. It was something the Marauder's had all gotten the summer before; a symbol of the loyalty, strength and love they had for each other. "Sirius, what would you do if someone gave you a choice between something that could potentially save your life, or at least make it a bit more comfortable, and being loyal to a friend."

Sirius sighed, suddenly feeling the gravity of the situation Remus could be involved in. "Honestly?" Remus nodded his head.

"It would depend on the situation as a whole."

Remus' perked up at that, "so you mean there are situations where breaking a friends loyalty is ok?"

Sirius shook his head, "no. It is never ok to break a friends loyalty. All I am saying is there are situations in which it is impossible to avoid it, and thus, are forgivable."

"Ah," Remus paused to collect his thoughts, unsure of how to ask the next question. "How do you know?"

Sirius shrugged one shoulder, "you don't." Sirius cocked his head to to the side, "you just do what you feel is necessary and hope that you made the right decision."

Remus grabbed a rock beside his foot and flung it across their shelter. The rock hit a abandoned bucket in the corner before disappearing out of sight. "So that's it, eh?" Remus stood up and slammed his fist against a foundation pole holding up the bleachers. The pole shook, and dust flew from the pole and the ceiling above, covering them. "I make a decision and hope that it doesn't get me killed or lose all my friends?"

"Remus what the hell is going on?" Sirius jumped to his feet, and grabbed Remus by his shoulders, gripping him tightly. "Remus, look at me." Sirius shook his friend, and finally Remus relented, looking up at his friend through tear-filled, blurry eyes. Sirius swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off the desperate, scared, hopeless ones gazing up at him. "Rem..."

Sobs that Remus had been holding began to bubble to the surface, and he pushed his face into Sirius' shoulder so he could not see his face. "Remus, shh it's ok."

"Please," Remus choked out. "Whatever happens, please promise me you won't abandon me."

"Of course not!" Sirius rubbed the back of Remus' head comfortably, pulling Remus closer when he felt the boy's hands clutch to his shirt. "You are my brother, I could never abandon you."

Remus laughed, half in relief, half in disbelief. Taking a shuddering breath, Remus took a step away from Sirius and wiped his face with the sleeve of his robes. "I'm sorry."

Sirius shook his head, "don't be ridiculous, nothing to apologize for."

Remus smirked, "I cried all over your robes, they'll be ruined."

Sirius shrugged, "that's ok. They've been cried on so many times, I doubt a few more will make a difference."

Remus chuckled darkly, "I suppose not." The rain had stopped and the lack of shouting and whistles let them know the Ravenclaw practice was over. Remus moved his head towards the grounds, "it's getting late. We better hurry if we want to make it to dinner."

Sirius nodded and followed Remus into the cold wet grounds, "are you going to tell me what is going on with you Remus?"

Remus placed his hands in his pocket and grimaced, "I think I will after I made a decision."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but shut his mouth when his companion shook his head. "It's just something I have to decide for on my own, and if I get anymore advice... well it would sway my decision, and I can't have that."

Sirius nodded and cleared his throat, pausing when they reached the front doors of the castle. "If it helps, you are a good person Remus. And I know you would never do anything to purposely hurt any of us, at least not without a good reason."

"Thanks Sirius, I appreciate that." Remus pulled open the front doors of the castle, and followed Sirius in. White noise chatter met their ears, and the two boys fought through the crowd of first and second years who had begun filing into the Great Hall, stopping halfway down the Hall greeting their friends.

James shifted to make room for Remus, while Sirius crawled under the table and came up on the other side, sitting next to Peter. James grabbed Remus' plate and put a spoonful of potatoes on his plate before handing it back, and mimicking the movement to the others. "Where were you guys?"

Remus shrugged, "here and there." Smiling thanks to Peter who passed him the chicken, Remus shot a warning look at Sirius. "I just needed to get some air, I met Padfoot on my way back to the castle." Leaning towards Peter, Remus placed a hand beside the boys ear and whispered, "he was giving out Prongs' secret moves to the Ravenclaw team."

"What?" James yelled, "I'll kill you!"

Remus pulled on James' robes before he attacked Sirius, "it was a joke, Prongs. You know, a haha?"

James pouted, "your haha's are not haha worthy Moony."

"Psh, bitch please! My haha's can beat out your haha's any day."

"Yeah well... you're a blahblahblah!"

Remus rolled his eyes, and turned to his baked chicken that was waiting for him on his plate, while Sirius dragged James and Peter into a discussion as to what their next plan of action was to win over the girls, leaving Remus free to scan the Hall. Remus' eyes paused when he caught sight of Tonks' hair and couldn't help but smile warmly in her direction. He hadn't seen much of her during the day, and the reason was now obvious. Tonks, from the looks of it, had made friends with Lily Evans and her group. He couldn't help but smile widely as the girls all laughed merrily together as if they had all known each other for years. Remus turned his attention back to his friends, when the movement of James standing up from his seat caught his eye.

"Where on earth are you guys going?"

Sirius and Peter grinned at their friend, "we are going to woo our women!"

Remus gave them a look of disdain, and a halfhearted thumbs up, "good luck." When the boys turned their backs, Remus performed a quick protection spell on them, to protect them from any potential wrath the girls may invoke.

Sirius was the first to go. He didn't automatically do something drastic like pop out of her porridge so Remus took that as a sign that he at least learns from his mistakes. Sirius handed Marlene a bouquet of flowers, blue and pink, her favourite colours. She looked pleasantly surprised, and her eyes lit up brightly when small fireworks burst out and spelled, _would you go out with me?, _in small flashing lights. She was even about to accept, much to Remus' relief, when Sirius did the unthinkable. He groped Marlene.

The slap sounded through the entire Hall, causing everyone to pause and look up from what they were doing towards the group. Sirius held his hand against the throbbing redness on his cheek. "Sirius Black, you are a pig!" Marlene threw the flowers at Sirius and turned back to her friends, ignoring the eyes of those in the Hall.

James lost his stream and pushed Peter ahead of him. Peter bit his lip and looked down sheepishly, "Dor... Dorcas?"

Dorcas turned towards him, about to yell at him and tell him to leave her alone, when she saw how nervous and frightened he looked. "What is it, Pettigrew?"

"Dorcas... I was wondering, if maybe, possibly, you would like to accompany my friends and I... I mean if you would like to... if you would like to come to our picnic..." Peter sighed, "never mind..."

Dorcas smiled softly at Peter, who had turned away from her and was now walking back to Remus. "Peter?" Peter turned back towards her, his face questioning, confused as to what she could possibly want. "I would love to accompany you to your picnic." Peter's face lit up like New York City in the evening, "But only if you promise not to grope me like Black."

"I think I can arrange that."

Dorcas winked at Peter, "then it's a date."

Remus laughed as Peter turned and looked at him in disbelief, "d-did I?" Remus grinned and nodded, chuckling as his friend started dancing around in his spot. "I did it, I did it!"

James and Sirius plopped down in their seats and watched as Peter did his happy dance in the middle of the Hall. They tried to look annoyed, but neither could keep up the act long when Peter looked so happy and proud of himself. "Yeah, yeah shake my booty. I did it, I did it!" Peter moved his hips around in a circle, as his head bobbed, and arms moved happily from side to side over his head.

"Come on, Wormy! Dinner's almost over, sit down and eat already." Peter pouted at James and sat down beside Remus, how was still chuckling at his friends display.

"I have that little dance of yours in my head, Peter. Remind me to put it in a pensive and show you sometime, cause man that was priceless." Peter rolled his eyes at James and began stuffing his dinner into his mouth.

"I can't believe the person that can't eat with his mouth closed got a date and we couldn't." Sirius complained, throwing his fork on his empty plate as he watched Peter devour his food. A look of mild disgust gracing his handsome features, as he tutted at the boy.

"Technically, seeing as I didn't ask Evans, I didn't get rejected, so I still have a chance." James pushed his plate away and placed his elbows on the table, "you on the other hand. You were so close... then you groped her."

"Seriously, what on earth is wrong with you?" Remus asked, shaking his head towards Sirius.

Sirius shrugged uncaring, "I just see something grabable and I grab it."

"You are a pig, seriously at times, you have the most atrocious behavior, you know that?"

"This is coming from a guy afraid to tell a girl how he feels."

Remus rolled his eyes, standing up as the bell signaling the end of dinner rang. "I am not _afraid,_ I just like to be ..." Sirius glared at his friend, his head turning to see what had caused Remus to stop speaking so suddenly. Anger filled his veins as his eyes landed on Snape. Turning to Remus to tell him not to let Snivellus bother him, he noticed that Remus and Snape seemed to be having a silent conversation with one another. Remus gave a ever so slight nod before turning and walking into Sirius. "Sorry... Hey what's the matter?"

James and Peter were already waiting for them at the doors, so Sirius gripped his friends arm and looked him straight in the eye, having no fear that they could be overheard. "What is going on between you and Snape?"

Remus looked at Sirius as if he had gone insane and pulled his arm out of his friends grasp, "what are you going on about now, are you insane?"

Sirius nodded, "probably. But I am not blind. I saw that exchange just now between you and Snivellus. Remus if he is hurting you in anyway, just tell us. We can help you."

Remus shook his head, "don't you get it Sirius? You can't help me, this is my decision."

"What is your decision?" Sirius asked him, frustrated at the evasive answers his friend was giving him.

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "just leave it ok?"

Sirius shook his head, "no. You are my friend, I can't just leave something that is causing you pain. I certainly can't leave something that has you involved with a possible future maniac."

"Sirius I-," Remus was cut off by their friends impatient calls from across the hall. "listen we have to go, can we please talk about this later?"

Sirius folded his arms, and nodded his head. "We will talk about this, Remus." Remus' eyes shot to James and Peter who were now making 'come on' gestures. Sirius shook his head catching his meaning. "I won't tell them unless I feel you are in danger. Can't expect me to keep it from them if you are."

"Yeah.." Remus and Sirius slowly made their way back to their friends. Seeing his friends in front of him and Sirius watching him carefully at his side, Remus nodded to himself. He had made a decision, and for better or worse, he was going to go through with it.

o0o

Tonks' footsteps echoed loudly through the empty corridors, her thoughts on the poem that she had found on the floor of the library one day prior. She smiled as the words she memorized replayed themselves over and over in her mind, causing her to not be able to think of anything else. Remus liked her. Her! Nymphadora Tonks! It was like a weird dream... wait... wasn't it a bit weird?

Tonks stopped and pondered the thought for a moment. Technically, Remus was about twenty nine in her time, making him a whomping twelve years older than she. Illegal in most parts of the Wizarding World. That was just it though, they were no longer in her time. Here, they were almost around the same age, the age difference between them was now quite respectable. Tonks shook her head, just thinking about it hurt her brain. What he had was probably just a little crush, that's all. It would go away as soon as the next cute girl came along.

Even to her that seemed stupid, and she was in disbelief of the whole thing. The question she was avoiding was, does she have feelings for him? If she was completely honest with herself, yes she did. Thinking back on it, the first day she stumbled upon him and held his hand on the Hogwarts grounds, and that insane Potions' class that ended with her covered in goo, that she was _still _trying to get out of her hair, had to be the most fun she had ever spent at Hogwarts. It wasn't the hand holding or the goo, that happened on a daily basis. No, the one factor that changed was Remus. Remus was what made those activities fun.

"Huh, what do you know."

Tonks turned the corner of the corridor and tripping over the boy sitting on the floor against the wall. "Hey, are you... Snape!" Tonks pulled her hand that she had offered away and glared at Snape in disgust. "You bastard! What the hell are you doing sitting here in the freaking corridors?"

"Bastard? Don't you think that is a bit harsh, I mean I don't even know you." Snape looked up at her, his eyes dark, sinister in the dimly lit corridors.

Tonks glared at him, her hands began to hake with anger. "How could you..."

"I haven't done anything."

"How could you do that to Remus?"

"What are you running your mouth off about?"

"How could you play with Remus' feelings, his loyalty to James!" Tears fell from her eyes from the frustration she felt, and she panted, her breath coming out in small clouds from the cold in dungeon corridor. The anger she felt from the night before was coming back in droves, she couldn't seem to stop the heavy stream of emotion that was running through her body. "Lily and James die in a few years. How can you just rip the Marauder's apart like that, when they haven't a lot of time left together!" Tonks slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in realization in what she just revealed to him.

Snape glared into her eyes, sparks of confusion shining in his black ones. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," she lied quickly.

Snape stood up, and placed his hands at either side of her head, on the cold stone walls. "You're lying."

"What is it to you what I said?"

"Because what you just claimed is that Lily, and that pompous fool James Potter die in a few years."

Tonks froze. Recovering quickly, she placed her hands behind her back and gave him a sickly smile. "I did? I don't have any recollection of that."

Footstep echoing through the corridors warned them of students heading their way. Snape leaned close, his breath feathering across her face and neck as he whispered into her hair. "I have no idea who you are, and if I am perfectly honest I really don't care. What I care about is that you seem to be under the assumption that Lily will be dead in a few years."

Tonks raised her eyebrows, "I say weird things when I have greasy smelly idiots yelling in my face. Last I checked there wasn't a law against that."

Snape growled, "don't mess with me Broer, because you will not win."

Tonks moved her fingers in front of her face, "ooh spooky."

Snape chose to ignore her, and just continued as if she had said nothing. "And as for your little wolf friend, I am not doing anything, it is his decision. If he breaks the loyalty of his friends just for some stupid potion, then that is his prerogative. As long as I get what I want, I don't give a rats ass as to what happens to the little freak."

The slap had come so sudden, that Tonks didn't realize that she had been the one to deliver the blow. "You greasy git!" Snape stood back from her, and drew his wand about to curse her when Slughorn's voice sounded from around the corner.

"Severus, is that you?" Snape slid his wand back into his robe, as Slughorn rounded the corner. "I have been looking for you everywhere, boy! You are supposed to be assisting me in my office."

Snape glared at Tonks before picking up his things and smiling sweetly at Slughorn, "sorry, Professor. I was just studying with Brooke-lynn."

"Yes, yes, that is all well and good, but I need your help now." Tonks made a face at Slughorn, but secretly she was glad he had come when he did. Who know what Snape would have done to her if he hadn't.

"Night Broer."

"I enjoyed our study session, we should do it again, Snape."

Snape sneered at her, "I look forward to it." Snape turned his heel and followed Slughorn to hid classroom, leaving Tonks alone in the corridor breathing a sigh of relief.

Feeling suddenly unnerved, Tonks ran down the corridor to the secret portrait that had a tunnel leading to the seventh floor. She needed to get back to her room, she needed to be alone. "Tickle me pink!" Tonks gasped to the Fat Lady, who merely looked at her bored before allowing her entrance into the common room. After stopping to exchange pleasantries with Lily and her friends, Tonks snuck up the stairs, stopping momentarily in front of the seventh year boys dorm in thought. "Nympha?"

"Eek!" Strong arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling in her scare.

"Shh! It's just me, Remus." Tonks sighed, and leaned back into his chest, smiling when she felt his arms tighten around her. "Sorry, I gave you quite a scare... are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"Who where you looking for?" Remus asked, letting go of her. One hand went to his pocket, while the other ran through his hair, moving his bangs from his eyes.

"Oh erm..." Tonks bit her lip, "no one. I just got a bit distracted is all."

"Ah," Remus looked down disappointed. "Well I was looking for you."

A gentle smile crossed Tonks' face, "really? What for?"

Remus shrugged, "I just wanted to have a conversion that didn't involve sex, naked girls, chocolate, or pranks."

Tonks playfully pouted and crossed her arms, "but those are the only subjects worth talking about! Like, what else would we talk about?"

"Naked guys?" Remus suggested, and eyebrow arched.

Tonks laughed, and nodded towards her room. "let's go. But speaking of naked guys, Severus Snape has a lovely bum." Tonks bit her lip trying not to burst out laughing at the repulsed look on Remus' face, and raced up the stairs to her room. Saying the password, she threw her door opened and plopped down on her bed.

Remus looked into her room, standing awkwardly at the door. "Come in! The room won't hurt you."

Remus took a cautious step into her room and the door slammed shut behind him, causing him to jump at the noise. Tonks bounced on her bed, "Remus, come sit on my bed with me. Then you can explain to me, why you were looking for me."

Slowly, cautiously, Remus made his way to her bed, as if afraid it would blow up at any moment. A small smile spread across his face when he reached the bed and sat upon it. Nothing had happened. Well not nothing. Tonks poked him in the ribs about to inquire about why he was acting weird, when he giggled. Tonks found the sound intriguing so she poked him again, which elicited another giggle from the boy beside her.

Grinning evilly, Tonks leaned over him and began to shower his sides with pokes of her small fingers until he was gasping for breath under her. "Tonks.. please.. god oh that tickles... don't! He squealed, his body moving violently under her, trying to get away from the poking fingers.

Remus connected his legs with hers, and used his strength to turn them over so that he was above her. Tonks gasped, her fingers twitching nervously as she say the mischievous gleam in his amber eyes. Remus sucked in his breath when he caught sight of her eyes, suddenly he felt mesmerized., unable to move. "Remus." Tonks pushed herself up onto her elbows so that their faces were just an inch or so apart, she could feel his breath on her face, which in comparison to Snape's breath early, was pure heaven.

Remus' face moved closer to her, and Tonks felt compelled to follow his example. His lips gently brushed against hers, and she felt as if sheer electricity was flowing through her veins. _Tap Tap Tap! "_Shite," Remus cursed under his breath and quickly rolled over onto the bed freeing her from under his body.

Tonks, red-faced, jumped from the bed and flung open her window. An owl that reminded her too much of the slime ball Snape glared ruefully at her. Tonks took the small piece of parchment from the bird threw it a piece of bread she had saved from dinner before shutting the window. Not even bothering to look at the note, Tonks threw it onto her desk before joining Remus back on her bed.

"Who was that from?" Remus asked, his head was propped up on her pillows and he looked quite content to stay there.

Tonks merely shrugged, and crawled next to him, laying against the two free pillows beside him. "Dunno, I didn't bother to look." Remus nodded, and the room grew silent, the only thing being heard was their even breathing. "Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"You should do what is best for you."

Remus turned his face towards her, "what are you talking about?"

"Just think you don't do what is best for you all the time. You do what is best for others all the time, but never what is best for yourself." Tonks smiled sweetly at him, "that's merely my opinion though. Whether you choose what is best for you or not, I'd be there for you either way to help you deal with the consequences."

Remus chuckled and placed his head on her shoulder, "I haven't a clue as to what you are talking about, but thanks I guess."

Tonks placed her head on top of his, and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt very sleepy. "Anytime."

They fell into silence, and soon they both fell into a peaceful sleep. The note that had been on her desk, fell off, pushed from a gentle wind. The note fell to the floor, ten bold words stood on in stalk contrast to the parchment it was written on. _**No one is safe as long as you are here.**_

o0o

It was eleven fifty when Remus finally forced himself to leave a slumbering Tonks in her room. He had made his decision and needed to tell Snape to his face, whether the boy wanted him too or not. Using James' invisibility cloak that he had borrowed from his friend earlier that day, Remus snuck out of the portrait hole into the freezing corridors of the castle. Using the portrait of Pompero Seveato, an ancient wizard alchemist no one cared about, Remus raced to the dungeons. He knew that Snape wouldn't be in the common room, and instead went towards the kitchens making a sharp left at the suit of armor that stood ten feet from the kitchen entrance. Coming to a brick wall, Remus tapped the brick that was a foot above his head, then one two to it's left, tenth one down from that and then tapped one, two bricks to the right. Stepping back, the bricks began to move into a small archway that lead him into a small clubhouse. It was something that Snape and Lily had made when they had first arrived at Hogwarts.

It was supposed to be secret, but with the Marauders around, it was impossible to keep secrets, such as awesome hidden rooms, secret for long. Sure enough, in the middle of the room sitting on an emerald push chair was Severus Snape. His back was to Remus and he was hunched over, so Remus was unable to see what he was doing.

Remus paused cautiously at the door, Snape was known as the 'attack now as questions later' kind of guy, and Remus really didn't fancy a visit to the hospital wing. Remus cleared his throat and walked into the room.

"Well?" Snape asked, not bothering to turn to look at him or stop what he was doing.

"Snape I..."

**To Be Continued...**

**Next time on Amber Sheets:**

_Once, silence meant lack of words_  
_Winter came once a year_  
_I ran, red-cheeked_  
_Each year's first larks_

_Ears peaked to catch each song's welcome sound_  
_I smiled, unaware of natures cycles_

_A scrap of confusion_  
_Whirling in a torrent of sorrow and torment I could not understand_

_That smile, teeth flickering, is now my past_  
_I craved acceptance, too stubborn to see_  
_I would never be accepted again_

_Here I am, wounds ripped open_  
_Laying down in the pale glow_  
_Half of my destruction_

_In mind, replaced the moon and stars with candles_  
_Crimson and grey_  
_As I drown and yesterday fades_  
_Through my growls_  
_I hate what I have become_

_I knew joy_  
_I was just a boy_

**_Remus follows through with his decision. After a disastrous transformation he falls into a terrible depression, and the only one who is able to pull him out is Tonks._  
**


	5. Of Friendships, Love and Disloyalty

_**Previously on Amber Sheets**_

_Remus paused cautiously at the door, Snape was known as the 'attack now as questions later' kind of guy, and Remus really didn't fancy a visit to the hospital wing. Remus cleared his throat and walked into the room._

"_Well?" Snape asked, not bothering to turn to look at him or stop what he was doing._

"_Snape I..."_

**Chapter Five **

**Of Friendships, Love and Disloyalty  
**

Remus vomited violently, and stumbled limply to the floor of the Shrieking shack. Wood and other debris was scattered all about the room, scratches were etched deeply into the seemingly flimsy wooden walls. Remus choked, his throat was swelling and felt uncomfortably clogged. His chest was beginning to bulge, looking unnaturally contorted, disfigured. Remus couldn't even scream, it was like an allergic reaction, his throat had completely cut off its airway.

His throat was assailed by painful spasms, his vision blurred. Remus' swelled wrists, had began to develop an unsightly rash on his sensitive skin. The bite on his shoulder began to glow and throb violently as Remus began to slip in and out of consciousness. Heat, a sudden grueling warmth, interrogated his fever. His abdomen cramped and heaved, nauseously he coughed. His heart was beating quite irregularly even for a transformation, and Remus wheezed, trying without success to breathe through his nose.

The blood curdling smell of his own vomit made the acerbic substance develop once again in his mouth. He coughed it up, and wasn't a bit surprised to see blood in it. Remus began to thrash violently, feeling disoriented.

Remus' face was distorted in a terribly contorted grimace. Sweat layered his clammy skin. Faint sullen hairs sprouted from his open pores. His jaw extended unnaturally, looking strained and stressed.

Instead of screaming, Remus felt the small amount of air that he had been getting get abruptly cut off, his throat completely closing off. With one last gasp, his hands reflexively scarfed around his neck; he collapsed to the floor, his legs flailing violently. Tingling sensations began to run throughout his arm, as he continuously hit his arms against the floorboards.

Remus fought for control, he wouldn't go down without a fight. He kicked, scuffing the wood. Irrationally Remus tried to scream, he was beginning to freak out. Anticipating what was to come.

When Remus thought back to the reason he was now in this heinous situation. In hindsight, he didn't remember much; he had been but a young boy after all. He remembered black, red crusted eyes, that seemed irrational, evil, unmerciful,m the bristling grayish, black fur. The sharp petulant claws scuffed his shirt, the stealthy movements agile as Remus vainly lifted his small arms to protect himself from the vicious attacker. The blinding pain that engulfed him as yellow, drooling teeth infiltrated his skin, sharp and dull. His scream, warned those near of the ending to his normal childhood, his normal life.

Meticulously, Remus pressed himself closer to the incorrigible floor. He coughed. He grasped his neck between his two palms, his jaw throbbing as it augmented a size larger than what was natural. Body discorded with his thrashing movements as pain ran through his body. Remus' nose and mouth extended between his prudent bulging eyes, lethargically. Hair began to protrude from his musty open pores. Suddenly he convulsed, contorting unnaturally, agony rippling throughout his slanted and lateral body. Surpassing acceptable or pertain-able anguish.

Remus' back arched and ached noxiously. He felt nauseous as he convulsed again perniciously. His pelvis began to transpose. Remus attempted to cough, his throat reacted by burning, air suppressed. Remus' attention straggled as he stared preoccupied at the ceiling.

Remus was hit by another round of irascible convulsions. He heard a deafening crack, a sound in which resembled two giants colliding together in a fist fight; it was his arching spine. His shoulders squared without his permission. Remus yelped hoarsely as the pain didn't stop; but instead increased. The entire proportion of his body was jerking in impossible angles, positioning his body uncomfortably before his very eyes, his body conformed to the varying convulsing movements.

Remus' chest heaved as he puffed up, faintly he heard the faint sound of his school shirt tearing, and he cursed himself for not having the presence of mind to take off his clothes before his transformation. Hair pricked through his shirt, ripping holes in the delicate fabric. Receding tautly and returning in size, altering. The rigor pain increased and my body shot up with a harsh snap. It was almost spurious.

In the macabre he cried out, his airways finally relieved of the lump that had resided there. Remus inhaled deeply, discerning the bungled air, his throat no longer throttled by pain. Everything felt different, and yet familiar, for he had done the same every month for the last twelve months. The way his mouth moved, it felt as if his whole jaw was exercising. An array of motion. He breathed facetiously, feeling as if it wasn't real.

Remus breathed deeply relaxing, thinking that the transformation was finally over, when he was hit with another convulsion. This time the pain was unbearable for Remus; propulsion was pain. He screamed, but it came out as a incoherent howl, with broken syllables. And then, everything stopped. His body ached , throttled by the numbness.

Remus' face was scruffy with fur. His jaw was replaced by a dog's muzzle, his entire face substituted with animal features. His skin was manipulated by long, thick hairs. His facial expression could only be described as one of animosity. His teeth were sharp daggers, syndicated closely, enamels sharp. Canines were extended into lethal fangs, splotches of brown layered his gums.

Remus stretched out his body, sturdying himself stealthily. Remus stood upright, much bigger than the average pack wolf. His uniform was completely mangled and torn, faint signs of his abs showed beneath the tufts of fur. He looked more human than wolf, his muzzle was smaller than one would expect from the wolf species. A combination of man and wolf.

Remus tried to hold back the urge to howl, when he noticed that his friends had not come in after his transformation. His claws slashed into the walls and he growled angrily. Then Remus blacked out. When he awoke in the morning it was in a pool of his own blood, he was alone, cold and felt utterly abandoned by his friends.

o0o

The smell of a hospital usually always made people feel uncomfortable, but to Remus, the smell was that of safety and refuge. A place where he could forget what happened to him the night before and just move on; usually anyway. This time it pained Remus to be in the over sterile room. What was once a room usually filled with laughter, chocolates, and hugs, was now an empty room with a lonely werewolf. There was no laughter, no chocolates, and forget hugs because no one was there with him.

This he deserved, Remus supposed as he thought back to the events that lead up to just before his transformation. The events that lead to him being alone during his night as a werewolf. The events that lead up to what Remus would later describe as the worst transformation he ever had.

"_Lily, Sn-, Severus really isn't that bad a guy, maybe you should give him another chance." Remus took Lily's hands into his own, and looked her straight in the eye, trying to get her to understand his predicament. "Please Lily, you have no idea how much it would help me."_

_Lily studied Remus' eyes and was shocked at how desperate and pained they looked. Placing her hand on his cheek, she recoiled when tears fell onto her fingers. "What's the matter, Remus?"_

_Remus pulled away from her, and turned his back so he couldn't see the pain on his face. "Nothing, I just think he deserves another chance Lily."_

"_He called me a Mudblood," she pointed out to him. She crossed her arms and looked at the back of his head with raised eyebrows, "surely he doesn't deserve another chance after that."_

_Remus turned around, annoyance and something akin to anger flickering in his eyes. "It was only because he was completely humiliated by us! Come on Lily, even I would have said that to you had the position been reversed!"_

_Lily paused her argument, she had never considered that before. Thinking back her, herself would have probably said something similar. Lily shook her head, "doesn't matter. It's too late now, that was over a year and a half ago. There is no way he would consider being friends with me again after all that time."_

_Remus chuckled to himself. Oh how wrong sweet little Lily was! "I say give him a chance. You will regret it if you don't Lily. Maybe not be now, or even after you graduate, but eventually you will." Remus paused and closed his eyes, trying to keep to the tears at bay. God did he feel horrible about doing this to James. "Listen Lily, if I am perfectly honest with you I have an ulterior motive in asking you to do this. Trust me, after all the crap Snape was given me, I wouldn't ask unless it was integral in what I needed."_

_Lily's eyebrows knitted together as she studied her friend, "Remus, what have you gotten yourself into?"_

_Remus sighed in defeat. "Lily, you know about my er.."_

"_Your furry lil problem?"_

_Remus nodded, "as James likes to call it, yes." Remus motioned to the wall and he leaned against it, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Lily followed suit, keeping her eyes glued to Remus as he told her the truth. "Well a few months ago they came up with a potion to help with my..."_

"_Furry little problem."_

"_Right, that. Well it aids in helping people have a more comfortable problem, namely it puts them to sleep for the entire thing."_

_Lily's eyes widened and she clapped her hands, "Remus that is wonderful!" Lily's face fell at the look on Remus' face. "Isn't it?"_

_Remus sighed and looked up at the pitch black ceiling, "don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful invention. Problem is that is so expensive that no werewolf could afford it, and if they could, not for very long."_

"_Right, Ministry's got money grubbing problems." Lily shook her head in disgust. "I really don't see what this has to do with Severus though."_

"_Snape offered to make me the potion, in return for convincing you to date him."_

_Lily's face turned red and her hands clenched into fist, "he did WHAT?" Lily threw her hands over her head in outrage, "what did you say!"_

_Remus looked towards Lily slightly frightened, and he wrung is hands nervously. "I told him I would think about it, I had to think about James as well. Wasn't an easy decision to make."_

_Lily's face scrunched up in confusion, "why on earth would you have to think of Potter? What has he got to do with any of this?"_

"_Sadly a lot more than you would think," at her confused look he shook his head. "Never mind, not really the important part."_

"_But you just said-"_

_Remus' eyes flashed red and he yelled at Lily. "Lily, will you listen to me!" Lily closed her mouth and nodded, slightly afraid that his eyes would flash red again. _

"_The James part is not important for you to know, not right now at any rate. What you need to know is, Snape offered to make the potion in exchange for me convincing you to date him. God Lily, please tell me you will do it... the potion could save my life." The flash of concern that flashed through Lily's eyes, told Remus that he had won, or was about to._

_Lily closed her eyes, and swallowed hard. "I'll do it. I'll become friends again with Severus, if I think he has evolved, then and only then will I agree on a date with him."_

_Remus grinned inwardly, he had only technically told Snape he would get her to be friends with him again. Snape didn't say for how long she had to be friends with him, he put no limit whatsoever. "Oh Lily, thank you!" Remus hugged her tightly, and he pressed his lips against hers quickly as a thank you._

_Lily grinned at his boyish behavior, "I am only doing this for you. I can't promise I will like it."_

_Remus folded his hands on his lap and looked at her with his best professor face, "Lily, if you did like it I would probably have to admit you to St. Mungo's, because obviously something would be terribly wrong with you."_

_Lily snorted and punched Remus lightly in the arm. The bells signaling dinner chimed, and Lily stood brushing off her dress. Offering a hand to him, Remus smiled and happily accepted, Remus was about to get up when something hard pushed at his shoulder, causing him to lose balance and hit his head on the concrete._

"_Potter! What on earth is the matter with you, he's your friend!" Lily shouted, bending down and helping Remus sit up. Groaning Remus put a hand to his aching head, a thick wetness met his fingertips._

"_Dude I am bleeding, what the hell is the matter with you?" Remus complained, standing up with the help of Lily. Remus glanced blurrily towards James, and the look of pure anger on his friends face caused him to pause. Placing the cuff of the sweater he attempted to stop the bleeding and turned to smile at Lily. "James seems to need to really talk to me," turning once more to look at James' angry face, Remus turned back around towards Lily and bit his lip, "like really badly, in private by the looks of his face. So I'll er, catch you later. And thank you Lily, I really appreciate what you are doing for me."_

_Lily nodded, her eyes glaring daggers at James, "well if you are positive you are all right." At Remus' nod she sighed, "if it doesn't stop bleeding in a couple of minutes go to the Hospital Wing OK?"_

"_Yes Mummy," Remus shot back, his face turning to disgust as he felt a drop of blood slide down his face._

_Lily kissed Remus' cheek, and glared once more towards James before turning and leaving the two friends alone in the dark corridor. _

_Remus let down his arm, convinced that his wound had stopped bleeding, and looked at James guiltily. "James?"_

_James squinted his eyes at Remus, "how long have you two been going out?"_

_Remus choked a bit, that hadn't been what he was expecting by a long shot. "E-excuse me?"_

_James nodded in the direction Lily left in, "you and Evans. How long have you two been dating?"_

_Remus almost laughed at the irony of the situation, it was too much to handle. "James, me and Lily aren't together."_

_James' hand flew out and Remus flinched, afraid James was going to hit him. He hadn't, instead his fist collided with the wall, causing bits of brick and stone to fall to the ground, their sounds echoing in the empty corridor. "don't lie to me, Remus. I saw you and her kiss."_

_Remus snorted, "please I have kissed my mother for longer." At James' look of repulsion Remus shook his head, "that came out wrong."_

"_If you two aren't dating, then what was that I witnessed?"_

_Remus sighed, feeling drained. "You have the most horrible timing, just an FYI, you may want to fix that." At James' glare Remus' shoulder's slumped. "I can't tell you OK?"_

"_Marauder's don't keep secrets from other Marauder's Remus."_

"_We aren't children anymore James, sometimes as a person grows they begin to hold secrets more important than where Peter hides his porn collection. Secrets that they are unable to reveal to others."_

_James shook his head, "how can there be an even bigger secret than your Lycanthropcy?" _

_Remus shrugged, and placed his hands into his jeans. "If you have asked me a week ago, I would say nothing was. Thing's just change James, become more difficult. Not much more I can say."_

_James' eyes widened, "you aren't a.. you didn't become a... did you?"_

_Remus gave his friend a confused look, before his eyes widened with realization. "Are you freaking insane?' Remus lifted up the sleeves of his shirt to show his friend that his arms were not blemished with the dark mark. "How could you even think such a thing, James!"_

"_Then what is it then?"_

"_I told you I can't tell you! I- James if I could I would all right? This is painful enough as it is, without, God James, I love you! You are one of my best friends, my brother, and it kills me, _kills me,_ that I would wind up hurting you like this."_

_James shook his head and walked closer to Remus who was shaking, nearly on the verge of tears again. "Remus, what is going on."_

_Unable to take the pain anymore, Remus closed his eyes and blurted it out. "I told Lily she should give Snape another chance."_

_James froze, his hands that were centimeters away from Remus' shoulder's dropped to his sides. "Why?"_

"_James, I.."_

"_WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME! I WAS SO CLOSE REMUS, SO DAMN CLOSE TO GETTING HER TO GO OUT WITH ME AFTER SEVEN DAMN YEARS, AND YOU DO THIS? YOU'VE COMPLETELY RUINED EVERYTHING!"_

_Remus felt guilty, but he was not one to take being yelled at, and so of course, Remus opened his mouth. "Ruined everything? James, come on, you don't even call her by her first name, there was no everything, you are lucky if there was even a thing to begin with. And not for nothing, had you and Sirius not been bored, I would not even be in this damn mess, because surprise, surprise, Lily and Snape would still have been friends. So if you want to point that finger at someone, maybe you should point it at yourself."_

_James' face flashed red, and his hands fisted. "You are out of the Marauders."_

_Remus scoffed and folded his arms across his chest, "excuse me?"_

"_I said you are out of the Marauders, you are no longer apart of our group."_

_Remus shook his head, "don't be a prat. It has to be a majority vote, and Sirius and Peter will never vote me out."_

"_Once they hear about what you did they will."_

_Remus threw his hands into the air feeling frustrated, "I haven't bloody done anything!"_

"_You sent Evans off to Snape."_

_Remus nodded, "yes I did that. But she's just going to be friends with him, I don't see how this interferes with you at all."_

"_Because he freaking hates me!"_

"_News flash James, so does Lily." OK, so that wasn't entirely true. Everyone knew about the feeling's Lily had for James. That was of course for Lily and James themselves._

_James shook his head, "I am done talking about this Lupin."_

_Remus looked up at his friend, a flash of hurt in his eyes. "So it's Lupin now, eh James?"_

_James nodded, "yeah."_

"_Fine, if that is the way you want to act, so be it."_

"_Fine."_

"_FINE," Remus snapped angrily._

_James turned and walked down the corridor without another word, leaving Remus in the darkened corridor alone to gather his thoughts. _

Remus sighed as tears fell from his cheeks at the memory. Looking down in his hand, he saw that he had written a poem when his thoughts were elsewhere.

_Once, silence meant lack of words,  
Winter came but once a year.  
I ran, red-cheeked,  
Each year's first larks._

_Ears peaked to catch each song's welcome sound,  
I smiled, unaware of natures cycles._

_A scrap of confusion,  
Whirling in a torrent of sorrow and torment I could not understand._

_That smile, teeth flickering, is now my past.  
I craved acceptance, too stubborn to see,  
I would never be accepted again._

_Here I am, wounds ripped open,  
Laying down in the pale glow.  
Half of my destruction._

_In mind, replaced the moon and stars with candles,  
Crimson and gray.  
As I drown and yesterday fades,  
Through my growls.  
I hate what I have become._

_I knew joy,  
I was just a boy._

It was darker than something he would normally write after a transformation, but seeing his inner turmoil, it fit oddly perfect. Tutting, Remus balled up the poem and threw it to the floor. He needed nothing else to remind him of the misery his life had become.

"Remus?" Remus' face shot up and Tonks' smiled worriedly back at him. "How are you feeling, Love?"

"Like utter crap?"

Tonks smiled and leaned over to smooth back the hair from his face, "yes well. That is to be expected I suppose."

Remus leaned forward, his hands folded together under his chin. "What am I going to do, Nympha? I am nothing without them." He didn't even need to catch her up on what had happened, the news was all over the school. Everyone was talking about Remus getting kicked from the Marauders.

Tonks sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his leg gently with her hand. "I don't know, I for one know you have a good reason for it, but James. He thinks you did it for no good reason."

"Because I won't tell him?"

"You know how he is. He's a bit... a few screws are loose and missing." Remus moved his mouth to the side in deep thought. "Sirius is talking to him though, so I am sure everything will be OK."

Remus shook his head and he beckoned Tonks into his arms. "Please? I just need someone to hold me."

Tonks swallowed and careful not to land on any of his injuries, she snuggled into his arms. Wrapping hers tightly around his waist. Quietly they sat there, listening to the sound of students passing by the door going to their next class. A gust of wind and a gentle flutter of paper falling to the floor was what finally caught their attention. "What was that?"

Tonks shrugged and leaned down, grabbing the piece of paper in her hand, "ah. A note from Lily."

Remus sat up straighter in the bed, "what's it say?"

Wordlessly Tonks handed over the note to him, shrugging. "Can't read it, it looks all blurry."

Remus frowned and studied the paper. Leaning over to his side table Remus grabbed his reading glasses beside his wand and placed them on clumsily. Bright red letters jumped out happily at him, and it took a moment for Remus to adjust to the bright ink.

"Well?"

"It says that she has everything under control."

Tonks gave him a confused look, "what exactly has she got under control?"

"I don't know." Remus laughed and placed the note on the table and his glasses on top of them.

Tonks clapped her hands, "well since Lily has.. whatever it is she has under control. It is time for the reason I have come here."

"Ah good, s you had a purpose?"

Tonks winked at him, "I always have a purpose." Standing up Tonks stripped off her robe threw it onto the floor.

Remus sat up even straighter, and bounced a little bit in his bed. "Ooo are you going to do a striptease for me?"

Tonks put her hand to her heart in mock horror, "Remus, I hardly know you."

"Never stopped a girl before." Remus smiled cockily at Tonks, his amber eyes just a tad brighter than they had been just a few minutes earlier. Tonks crossed her arms and glared, "I kid. I kid."

Rolling her eyes, Tonks sat beside him again. "OK so you know that I am a metamorphagus."

"I have seen you turn into the puppy version of Sirius, we can hardly say that counts."

"Well I have gotten a lot... wait I never turned into the puppy version of Sirius.."

Remus smirked, "yeah you have. Andromeda has the tape at home, I recorded it one day when Sirius and I were babysitting you." Remus scrunched up his face, "come to think of it baby you had pink hair as well."

"Naturally black-haired, though."

Remus pointed at her, "I always wanted to ask this. Do you actually know what your true form is? I mean you change so often, is there like a reset button or something?"

"I am not a robot.. I don't need a reset button. But yeah I do know."

Remus shook his head, "you know about robots... living proof that a Black descendant lives in the muggle world."

"Shh! I won't be living for long if Walburga get's a hold of that information." Tonks giggled playfully.

Remus grabbed her by the waist and tickled her gently. "Silly goose." Tonks giggled, and then settled into Remus' arms, snuggling deeply into their warmth. Remus' face turned serious and he pulled her tightly to him. "Tonks?"

"Yeah?" She asked sleepily.

"Thank you."

Tonks closed her eyes, "Mmmhmm." She murmured, falling into a gentle sleep.

Kissing the top of her head Remus made himself comfortable, deciding that the decisions he made and their consequences could wait. For now, he had Tonks in his arms, and that was all that mattered.

**To be Continued...**

Next Time on Amber Sheets:

_Dear Diary,_

_It has proven harder than I had initially thought, trying to be friends again with Severus. But I must make an effort, for Remus' sake. I seem to have hit a problem, though. He's a bit suspicious of me, as if he knows I am only doing this for Remus.. that can't be possible... can it? I mean it's not as if he's a mind reader or anything._

_Also things took a turn for the weird today. I had such a wonderful talk with Potter he... wasn't a pig. In fact he was sad, and I seriously don't get it Diary. I felt the need to hug him, hold him, make his troubles all go away. This confuses me, I have never felt that need towards Potter before. I am confused as to what it means?_

Lily attempts to make amends with Snape, but after a talk with James, Lily is finding it difficult to keep her promise to Remus. What will she do? What will Remus do when Sirius discovers his secret. What will Sirius do? Will he tell James, and try to bring the Marauders back together? Or is it too late? Has their family been ripped apart by all the secrets and lies revolving around their little group?**  
**


	6. Shift in the Tides

**Previously on Amber Sheets:**

_Remus' face turned serious and he pulled her tightly to him. "Tonks?"_

_"Yeah?" She asked sleepily._

_"Thank you."_

_Tonks closed her eyes, "Mmmhmm." She murmured, falling into a gentle sleep._

_Kissing the top of her head Remus made himself comfortable, deciding that the decisions he made and their consequences could wait. For now, he had Tonks in his arms, and that was all that mattered._

**Chapter Six**

**Shift in the Tides**

The Great Hall was bustling with students running towards their tables for a quick bite before their classes began. The noise that surrounded Remus fell upon deaf ears as he couldn't take his eyes off his best friends. It was barely a comfort to him that they seemed just as miserable as he did, and though he pretended not to, he could see Sirius and Peter sneaking sad looks his way.

The news that Remus had gotten kicked from the Marauder's was still a shock to everyone in the castle, even the teachers were having a hard time believing it. "Wotcher, Remus." Remus' eyes flashed up and he was met with the smiling face of Tonks. Giving her a small smile he motioned for her to sit. Noticing that Remus had his eyes on the other Marauder's, she took care not to sit where it would block his view. Piling sausage and toast onto her plate she looked towards the three boys thoughtfully. "You know, you could just go talk to them. Peter and Sirius look so sad to not have you there."

Despite the fact that his heart jumped happily at her words, Remus scoffed and rolled his eyes towards her. "Please, they are sad because they have no one to copy their Potions homework from."

Tonks pursed her lips, and shook her head thoughtfully. "No, no that is definitely not it, Remus."

Turning to look at her, Remus placed a hand under his chin and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because you suck at potions."

Remus nodded in agreement, and sighed, "true." He considered her words for a moment, then his eyes opened in realization, "oh shite!" Remus winced as his cursing had caused the attention of his former friends, all at whom were looking at him curiously.

"What?" Tonks asked amusedly, before stuffing a sausage in her mouth.

Turning red, Remus slid down a bit in his seat, "now I have no one to copy _my_ Potions homework from."

Tonks smiled softly, "you used to copy off of them? And here I thought it was you they always copied off of."

Taking a bite of toast Remus considered her question carefully. "Well, in the group we all have, _had_ our strengths." He began, thinking through the past six years. "Peter, for example, is excellent in Herbology. James, is great in Potions, and Transfiguration. Sirius, he kicks butt in Charms, is also great in Potions. We are all excellent in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Tonks nodded, "what is your strength?"

"Sex."

"I said your strength, not Sirius'."

Remus rolled his eyes, giving her a snort of derision. "Defense Against the Dark Arts is my strongest suit, though, if I am to be completely honest, I have a strong understanding in all of the other subjects as well."

"Just not Potions," Tonks pointed out.

Remus shook his head, "well. What do we _really _need Potions for anyway?"

"Well... there is healing wounds, curing diseases, great for disguises, cures fatigue, allows for dreamless sleep, as well as many other things."

"Psh, well see? It doesn't do that much."

Tonks smiled at him affectionately, "you're so cute when you try to deny the use of things."

Smirking at her, Remus winked. "I know." Tonks' eyebrows scrunched together and she laughed, not quite believing how conceited he could sound at times. Standing, Remus offered his hand to Tonks. Taking her bag and flinging it over his shoulder he nodded his head towards the door. "We best be getting to Transfiguration before we are late and McGonagall has a cow." Tonks stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "What?"

"You stole my bag again."

Remus rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, "so?"

"You have your own, give it back."

"No."

"Remus!"

"Yes, Love?" Remus winked at her and began moving towards the door, "c'mon. I missed two classes, I don't want to miss anymore."

Tonks stopped arguing and her eyes widened, "oh, pickles."

"Oh, pickles?" Remus turned towards her, "Nympha. You shouldn't say, 'oh, Pickles' unless something happened."

"Heh," Tonks moved her right hand as if she was using it to pull the words from her mouth, "heh."

"Why are you hehing?"

Tonks shook her head, short breaths came from her nose, and she chuckled weakly. "No reason." Tonks grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him towards the doors of the Great Hall. "We will be late to class." Tonks inwardly cursed herself, she'd completely forgot to mention to Remus that it was Hogwarts Sex Education Week, and if he messed up, it would put a hold on his graduation. Tonks winced, as she stopped in front of the classroom. Remus was behind her panting softly, having had to run to keep up with her fast paced race down the hall.

"What was that about?" Remus gasped, leaning his hands on his knees for support.

Voices could be heard from around the corner, talking about the Sex Education class they would be in for the week, and Tonks panicking, grabbed his collar and pressed her lips to his. Remus froze, shocked at the sudden warmth of her lips against his. After the initial shock wore off, Remus sunk into the kiss, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Tonks closer to him.

"You know I... whoa." Sirius, who had just turned the corner, stopped and stared at the two in shock. Peter, who was standing next to Sirius, could hardly believe his eyes, and was pulling viciously on Sirius' sleeve. "Yeah, Pete. I see it, but I don't believe it."

"Get a room Lupin," James snapped towards the couple that had just broken apart breathlessly. "Or I might just give you detention for improper behavior."

Remus narrowed his eyes, and sneered. "What's wrong, Potter? Jealous that I can get a girl, and you can't? Don't worry, if it makes you feel any better, I saw Lily and Severus during lunch today, they looked quite, what's the word? Ah, yes, _comfortable _with each other."

"Remus, James, c'mon now. There's no need to fight," Sirius murmured, pulling Tonks towards Peter and getting in between the two.

"He started it," Remus said softly. His eyes flashed red, and it took all of James' power, not to back down. Sirius bit his lip, knowing that if this went on any further, there could be big trouble on their hands.

"Well I am finishing it," Sirius said firmly. Squeezing Remus' hand as reassurance, he pushed James towards the door of the classroom, motioning for Peter to go in. "Broer, go and get a seat. I'll bring Remus in soon. Just want to speak with him for a moment." Tonks nodded, following Peter and a fuming James into the classroom.

Sirius waited for the reassuring click of the mahogany door closing, before he leaned against it and looked down at Remus. "Are you ok?" He asked concernedly, his eyes watching Remus for any signs that the wolf may be up on the surface.

Taking a shuttering breath, Remus nodded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to James."

Sirius shook his head, his thumbs hooked to the belt hoops of his jeans and his foot jiggled as he spoke. "Probably not," he agreed. "But he also had no right to threaten detention when you were doing nothing wrong."

Remus looked down ashamed, and missed the slightly perverted look that had crossed Sirius' face. "So, how far have you two gotten?"

"Sirius!" Remus chastised, his face turning a lovely tomato red. "That is not an appropriate thing to ask!" looking around, Remus noted that there was no one present, but he leaned closer to Sirius to make sure he wasn't heard, "and we have only kissed. This is our second time... and we were interrupted again."

"Again? You mean James did this before? Where the hell was I? Geez I always miss the good stuff!" Sirius pouted like a child and crossed his arms.

"Dude, you usually are the _one involved _in all the good stuff!" Sirius grinned, sort of feeling proud of himself. "And no. The first time we were on her bed-"

"Oo lala!"

"Shut it, Sirius!" Trying to hold back the smile that was threatening to cross his face, Remus continued his little story. "The first time, we were on her bed and a bloody owl tapped on the window with a message for her."

"Really, what did it say?" Sirius asked curiously, his eyebrows raised.

"I don't know. She just threw it on her desk, didn't even read it."

"Heh," Sirius shrugged, the late bell rang and both boys looked sad to leave each others company. "Listen, Remus?"

"Yeah, Sirius?"

"D-don't be a stranger, OK? I saw you at breakfast and you looked sad. I hate it when one of you looks sad, and know that, I am working on James, just, it would be so easier if I knew why you did it."

There was a knock and Peter stuck his head out, "McGonagall is going to have a fit if you don't get in right now. She's starting the lecture."

"Kay, Pete. We shall be right in." Remus said, smiling softly at him before turning back to Sirius. "Tonight, midnight, the Owlry."

Sirius winked, and threw his arms around Remus' neck, "oh Remus! You are so forward!"

Remus laughed and pulled away from him, "so we can talk about the Thing!" He couldn't help but snort at Sirius' playful pout.

"But, I am too sexy for my shirt!" Sirius protested playfully.

Remus wrinkled his nose, "sorry Sirius. You just aren't sexy enough for me."

Sirius laughed and placed an arm over Remus' shoulder, "let's go before Minnie Dear has a fit."

Remus grinned, "aye. Wouldn't want that now, would we?"

The two friends laughed, slightly manically, and entered the classroom, as if they hadn't a care in the entire world.

o0o

McGonagall walked down the steps from her office into her classroom where the class, except for Remus and Sirius were sitting, talking to their friends in hushed voices. "Class pipe down! I said, pipe down! We must get this over before the class ends."

McGonagall scanned the room and noticed to vacant seats, "where are Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin?" She asked the question almost wearily, as if afraid to hear the answer.

"Outside, Professor. Remus and James had a bit of a spat, and Sirius wanted to talk to Remus alone." Tonks said, from her seat next to Lily, who, up until that point, was reading over Tonks' Transfiguration essay.

Lily leaned towards Tonks, "what over?"

Tonks raised her eyebrows, and shook her head. "You and Snape, of course."

Lily gritted her teeth, "oh." Lily looked down at Tonks' essay again, scribbling out a sentence and replacing it.

Tonks looked down at her essay pitiably, "my poor essay. It's all, scribbled on."

Lily looked at Tonks apologetically, "you made a lot of mistakes. Should probably look it over once it is written you know. Would have caught more than half of these mistakes."

Tonks shrugged, "could've, should've, would've, won't."

"Girls, if you are about through?" McGonagall asked from the front, "I would like to begin."

"Sorry, Professor." Lily and Tonks said in unison. Turning to her left, Tonks noticed that Remus and Sirius had entered the room, and were sitting at the one empty table, which was (of course) surrounded by Slytherin's.

McGonagall cleared her throat and began her lecture. "As I am sure you are all aware, the Ministry has mandated a Sex Education course, for fifth years and up, starting this year."

Remus' eyebrows shot up and he glanced at Tonks' who gave him an apologetic look. "Ah, so that was what she was so nervous about." Remus smiled towards her and moved his shoulder up, to show her that it didn't matter, and all was forgiven.

James let out a moan and whispered, "yes, Sirius! Oh yes, do it. Again!" This had caused the class to erupt into hysterical laughter, even Lily couldn't help but crack a smile at Sirius, who was dancing in his seat, pretending to strip off his clothes.

"Black, Potter, I shall be seeing you tonight at 7 O'clock for detention." She said it, but the look on McGonagall's face showed that, even she, had found it at least sightly amusing. "As I was saying, we are having a sex ed/parenting course for years five to seven. You are going to be receiving the requirements for the parenting skills project in this class, while the sex ed course will be covered by Professor Slughorn , who insists that he knows more about... _intercourse,_" she said the word with extreme difficulty, "Than I. And is convinced that he can convince you that it is not just about pleasure, it also requires a lot of responsibility." McGonagall shook her head, and muttered to herself. "Though in my opinion, that theory is about as insane as letting Sirius Black run the course."

Tapping her wand to her desk harder than she needed, the sound of a baby crying rang through the room, causing the students to slam their hands over their ears, as if mandrakes had begun to cry, and they didn't have their earmuffs on. Suddenly, something resembling a skinned chicken appeared in her hand. "This is the baby you will be taking care of for the next week." The glass collectively groaned, some unable to get the look of horror off their face. Ignoring the class, she continued. "You will be working in groups of six to eight people, and no I shall not be taking any requests. It is for one week, you will live. Now, when I read your name you are to sit with your partner's, so please, stand in the back until you name is called."

The class moaned, but grabbed their books and made their way towards the back. Sirius walked towards where James and Peter were standing, but at James' glare, Remus decided he would stand beside Tonks and Lily. Both the girls gave him a hug, and he just shrugged towards Sirius, who looked slightly taken aback.

"Rufus Fudge, Amelia Bones, Alecto Carrow, Narcissa Black, Tiberious Odgen and Molly Prewett." Amelia and Molly laughed, sitting beside each other in the front of the room, happy to have someone they knew, not to mention liked, in the same group. Narcissa looked as if she swallowed a bug when Rufus sat beside her, but that was to be expected, she was such a snob! Alecto and Tiberious, seemed, neutral of the whole thing and sat beside each other. Alecto pulled out a piece of parchment and began making a hangman game for him and Tiberious to pass the time with.

McGonagall, silently glad that the first group didn't seem to have any objections, continued to call groups. "Amycus Carrow, Rosalie Clearwater, Amos Diggory, Mary McDonald, Anthony Thomas, and Evan Rosier." Pausing at the sound of chairs scraping the wooden floors, she waited for them to settle before continuing.

"Daisy Hookum, Bertram Abrey, Galvin Gudgeon, Su Li, Emmeline Vanee, Shawn Fawcett, Bilius Weasley and Dorcas Meadowes."

Remus gulped when he counted the remaining eight people, "the remaining group shall consist of, Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon, -" Sirius cheered, as Marlene slammed her head repeatedly against the wall, seemingly cursing the day she was born.

Remus grinned at Sirius, "way to go!" He mouthed, throwing Sirius a thumbs up. Sirius winked back towards him, causing Remus to snort and shake his eyes at his friend. He smiled inwardly to himself, maybe there was still a way to be friends with the other two. James shot Remus a filthy look, causing Remus to sigh inwardly, then again, maybe not.

"James Potter, Remus Lupin," McGonagall's back hit her desk and a hand flew to her heart at the two boys that began yelling at her simultaneously.

"Professor, I must protest!" Remus began, flinging his hand towards James. "I can't work with him!"

"Shut up, Lupin!" James snarled, "you would be lucky to work with me! You on the other hand, Professor, I can't work with this home-wrecker!"

"Home-wrecker? Really, Potter, I hardly qualify as a home wrecker!"

James glared towards Remus, "fine then! Plan wrecker."

Remus nodded, "ok, I accept that." Shaking his head towards James, he nodded at the boy. "I can't work with this idiot. I request a change."

McGonagall placed her hand on her forehead, "I wasn't finished."

The boys looked at each other, scoffed then sit down. "Oh, sorry then, Professor." The two boys muttered in unison.

"James Potter, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew, and Brooke-Lynn Broer. You will be all working in a group together." That, if anything, seemed to make the two boys yell and fight each other even harder.

"But, Professor. Surely this isn't fair I mean, we are all friends in this group, well most of us anyway," Lily Evans said, shooting worried looks towards the two boys glaring angrily at each other, as they had exhausted every curse and name they could think of to throw at the other. "Most of the other groups all have people that barely know each other. Also, I am afraid they may kill each other before the week is up."

"Which is precisely why you are all in a group together, to stop that from happening. Now, depending on whether you have six or eight people in your group, three or four need to be chosen as the ones to be pregnant. This part you may decide within your groups, I need ten people to be 'pregnant' by the end of next class." The class began to bicker amongst themselves, girls outright refusing to carry the thing, and boys saying it was inhuman for them to carry it, where would it come out from?

"Quiet!" McGonagall snapped, annoyed by the constant interruptions. "Now, whoever is made 'pregnant' will have an enchantment put on them, and to answer your questions, _yes_ the enchantment may be placed on boys, and _no _boys, you don't have to worry about it coming out, there is a spell for that.

"As I was saying, the enchantment that I will be using is the _Rendez Enceinte. _It is a really simple spell that will give you the symptoms of being pregnant. Which reminds me, if you drink a potion or put a spell on yourself that takes away the symptoms, you and your partner's will fail. This is meant to be done, muggle way." Almost simultaneously, the class started moaning and shaking their heads. Unable to believe that that they were being forced to do this _The Muggle way! _"You can refuse." said McGonagall, her arms crossing in front of her chest, smiling as cheers went up through the class like wildfire. "But, you will not graduate and will have to do this project all over again." The class went quiet, scowling at her.

The bell signaling the end of class sounded, and slowly the groups stood up and began packing up their things. " Before you go," McGonagall yelled through the noise, "You're homework for tonight is to write home, telling your parents about the pregnancy. When you receive their responses I want you to meet up with your groups and write a two foot long paper, on the reactions of everyone's parents in the group, and your responses. You may want to tell them it's a project for school first... oh forget it." McGonagall sat down at her desk wearily, noticing that the Marauder's and their group were still seated, watching as James and Remus bickered.

"I am getting sick and tired of this, James!" Remus snapped, his hands slamming onto the wooden desk in front of him. I mean really, c'mon. At first I thought it was a bit cute, you know, you being jealous, but now, it is just pissing me off."

"You ruined my life, Lupin!"

Remus threw his hands into the air, "how? James, for fuck sake's look at them, do they look like they are together?" Remus pointed towards Snape and Lily, who were sitting on opposite sides of the table from each other. "No, they do not, hence I did shite! You are only blaming me because you can't handle the fact that maybe Lily doesn't want you. Honestly, the way you have been acting, I can't blame her."

"Remus!" Lily chastised, slapping him on the arm, "that isn't right of you to say!"

Feeling a sudden urge to slap Lily, Remus grabbed his bag and stormed from the room, leaving an angry James, a red-faced Lily, and the rest utterly lost and confused. Sirius stood up from his seat, and after giving Peter instructions to keep an eye on James, he left the room in search of Remus.

o0o

_Dear Diary,_

_It has proven harder than I had initially thought, trying to be friends again with Severus. But I must make an effort, for Remus' sake. I seem to have hit a problem, though. He's a bit suspicious of me, as if he knows I am only doing this for Remus, that can't be possible... can it? I mean, it's not as if he's a mind reader or anything._

_Also things took a turn for the weird today. I had such a wonderful talk with Potter he... wasn't a pig. In fact he was sad, and I seriously don't get it Diary. I felt the need to hug him, hold him, make his troubles all go away. This confuses me, I have never felt that need towards Potter before. I am confused as to what it means? Maybe I should just start from the beginning..._

James slammed open the door to the Head's Quarters after screaming the password to a, now extremely frightened, portrait. He began throwing anything he could get his hands on, feeling the need to destroy anything he could find to release his anger. James was about to throw an extremely old vase when Lily entered the Quarters, shocked at the state it was in. "Potter!" Lily stormed up to him and grabbed the vase from his hands, and placing it back on the table.

James looked at her dazed for a moment, as if not able to compute her being there. "Evans? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here, what are _you_ doing here?" Lily's placed her hands and glared at James, "you are never in here. Thought I had the quarters all to myself this year."

"It's mine too, you know." James said defiantly, as he plopped down on the scarlet couch in their common room.

"Yes but, you never even stepped foot in here. So excuse me if I thought otherwise." Lily sat on the other end of the couch, and pulled her legs up onto the cushions. Her socked feet hung mere inches from James' thigh, and when he stayed quiet for, to her, felt like a century, her socked feet nudged him in order to get his attention. "Hey."

James looked at her socked foot that had poked her, and traveled his eyes to her face. "Hey?"

"Why did you kick Remus out of the Marauder's?"

James looked away from her, his eyes plastered on the ivory wall with gold rimmed picture frames scattered upon it. "He betrayed my friendship, my trust. He betrayed the Marauder's."

Lily sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. She watched him for a moment, "he had a good reason you know. That is why I am helping him, but Potter, if it will break you guys up, I can't, I won't do it."

James ran his hand through his hair, suddenly feeling frustrated. "What could possibly be so damned important that he keeps it from us! We know about his furry little problem, what could be worse than that!"

Lily merely shrugged, "he will tell you on his own time, Potter."

James pulled his knees to his chest and looked miserably towards her, "he said he loves me. That I was a brother to him, that it killed him to hurt me like this."

Lily bit her lip at the pain that shown on James' face, and fought the urge to hug him. "He was telling the truth, he loves you, Potter. He loves all of you."

"We love him too," James whispered. He hide his face in his knees, and Lily felt her heart wretch at the sight of his shoulders moving up and down in time with his sobs. "I don't want this to break us up, we have been through so much together, too much to ignore."

"So don't let it," Lily said softly. Her hand inched towards his head, and it stopped hesitantly, before she gently ran it over his head in a soothing motion. "Don't let something like this break you guys up."

"Lily, you went to see Remus after the full moon. How was he, was he all right?" Lily could hear the pain in his voice, the guilt that was ridden deep into the soul of it.

Lily winced, "I rather not say."

James' face shot up from his knees, a look of horror crossing his face. "Was it that bad.. I mean was..."

Lily looked apologetic towards him, "he is in bad shape. Was in bad shape I should say he is OK now obviously, you were fighting in class."

"Yeah, I noticed that he had a new scratch on his face, it looked bad."

She nodded, "Madam Pomphry, she couldn't do anything for it. He will have the scar for the rest of his life," at James' look of sheer guilt, she quickly added. "But, that happens all the time right?"

James shook his head, "not since we have been there for him. Never since fifth year have we missed a full moon, we should have gone. I was being such a selfish bastard! Remus, he could have gotten killed, but all I cared about was that he was keeping something from us. He's lucky to have gotten out with just a scar."

Lily studied James from a moment, contemplating what he had said. "Potter, what did you mean by when you said you should have been there, that you never missed a full moon since fifth year?"

"Sharp as a tack aren't you?" James muttered to himself, angry at the slip up.

"Potter, I know you guys are close. Amazingly close, in fact so close, half the school is under the impression you are all dating each other."

James shot her a look of confusion, "say what?"

Lily waved that off, "never mind that. Surely you aren't telling me you are all werewolves now, that Remus turned you?"

James crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I seriously don't know what scares me more. The fact that you say it so calmly, or the fact that you actually think Remus would bite us willingly."

"Well I am a very accepting person, and then what on earth did you mean by that comment?"

James sighed, he knew there was no way he could keep something a secret from her, he just loved her way too much for that. "You have to promise not to tell _anyone, _Evans. By anyone I mean anyone, not even Remus, Peter or Sirius."

Lily sat up in her seat, and folded her hands in her lap. "Ok, deal."

James took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping that he wasn't making a huge mistake. "Peter, Sirius and I are Illegal animagi. Every time there is a full moon we wait for, Remus to transform, then we turn into our animal counterparts, and stay with him the entire night."

Lily's face was blank, and her eyes scoured his face hungrily for any signs that he was joking, there were none. And then,Lily laughed. At first it was a small snort, then a chuckle, and then it turned into full bellied laughter. "Ah, Potter. You really had me going there for a moment. I mean even you guys wouldn't do something that reckless... right." Her face sombered immediately when she saw that his face seemed guarded, and slightly regretful. "Right, Potter?"

James sighed and merely stood up from his place on the couch, "wait. Where are you going?" Lily asked, reaching a hand towards him to keep James from leaving.

James shed his shirt and stood in front of her. "Just watch," he whispered.

Lily at Indian style on the couch and watched him curiously. She stayed quiet for a few moments, and when nothing happened, she cocked her head to the side. "You have a beautiful body, Potter, but I don't se-" Lily gasped and she stood up, her hands over her mouth in awe. "Potter! You, You're... a Deer!"

James transformed back, and gave her a mock glare. "I am _not _a deer, I am a stag!"

Lily shook her head, "no. I am pretty sure that you are a deer."

"I AM A STAG!" James shouted, his hands balled into fists, and his face turned red.

Lily pressed her lips tight together, trying to stop from hysterical laughing in his face. "Fine, you are a stag."

Lily turned her back and snickered, "deer."

"STAG!" Lily smiled, and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Plopping back down onto the couch, she patted the seat beside her, "come. I want to hear more."

James pouted at her, and folded his arms. "Stag." He said, sticking out his tongue at her. "And what else would you like to know?"

Leaning comfortably back into the cushions, Lily looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "What are the others?"

James leaned back with her, moving slightly closer, hoping she wouldn't move away from him. "Well, like in real life, Peter is the smallest one, a rat. He is the one that touches the trunk of the Whomping Willow for us, and Sirius is a big black puppy dog."

Lily's hands clapped together, "oh I always wanted a puppy! Can I play with him one day... in dog form I mean?"

James shrugged, "I'll ask him. Probably though, he loved chasing those tennis balls Remus kept throwing at him in the summer."

"Aw how cute, he spent some of the summer as a dog?"

James shook his head, "nope."

"Then why was he chasing the balls?"

James shrugged, "we still don't know. I mean it is not like since Peter and I turned that we have any different qualities."

A comfortable silence fell over them, and they stood that way for a long time, just thoughts in their own private little worlds. It was around two in the morning when Lily finally stood and stretched, her arms reaching towards the ceiling. "It's getting late, we best be getting to bed."

Glancing at the magic watch on his wrist, James' eyes widened when he saw the time. "We missed dinner, and night watch!"

"Oops," Lily murmured. She tangled her fingers together behind her back, and she laughed softly, her hair falling softly around her face as she shook. "I best be getting to bed, I'll catch you later, James."

James put his hand up to stop her, but pulled it back before he called her name. He finally had a good talk with Lily after seven years, he wouldn't ruin it by saying anymore. Not at that moment at any rate. "Night, sleep well, Lily."

"Sweet dreams... James."

o0o

Lily woke up early the next morning, and although she had barely five hours of rest, she felt oddly rejuvenated, hyper even. It was then that she decided it was time to make her move on Snape. She was in a good mood, and nothing could make her lose it, so it was the best time in her opinion.

Quickly, she dressed in her uniform and robes. Throwing on her shoes, and grabbing her bag that laid beside the door, she rushed out, hoping she would be able to find him before most of the castle made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Quickly she rushed though the dusty corridors, practically jumping down the stairs towards the dungeons. When she finally made it down there, most of the Slytherin's were beginning to make their way towards the Hall and she was worried that she missed him. In a corner of the hall, by himself stood Sirius' brother Regulus, whom she was quite good friends with. He wasn't a bad child, just a bit impressionable.

Smiling Lily slid up beside Regulus, and bumped him with her hip. Regulus looked up at her and grinned, picking up the book that had fallen from his hands during the impact. "Well if it isn't, Lily! What are you doing down here, in the cold, dark, hell that is the Slytherin dungeons?"

"I was actually looking for Severus, have you any idea where he is?"

Regulus nodded, and leaned his head towards Lily and Severus' old sanctuary. "He should be in his room that no one is supposed to know about, but do anyway."

"That is still here?" Lily asked in surprise. She had been under the impression that he would have destroyed it when their friendship went under.

"Yep. He doesn't spend anytime in the common room anymore, he sleeps in there and everything."

"Wow." Lily thought for a moment, "have you spoken to Sirius lately?"

Regulus grinned happily, "yep! Met him in the owlrey last night. He told me about the letter he has to send to Mum and Dad. If he wasn't already disowned, that letter he is sending would have done the trick."

Lily grimaced, she had forgotten all about the letter. Regulus turned towards the voices that were calling his name, and he wrinkled his nose. "I apparently have to go."

Lily nodded towards the sanctuary, "yeah. I should be going as well. Talk to you tonight at the Prefect meeting?"

Regulus winked in a way that could rival even his brother, and walked towards his friends. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Lily, and walked towards the sanctuary that used to belong to Snape and her both. "Hope." The door opened, and Lily walked in. Her eyes scanned the sanctuary that had once belonged to her as well. It looked different, more empty, even though the same cushy chairs, books and furniture were the same as she remembered. "Severus? Severus are you here?"

Lily walked deeper into the room, placing her bag the couch as she walked around the room. "Sev-"

A hand appeared on her shoulder and she whipped around, "Severus, you frightened me!" She chastised him, and he put his hand on her cheek. His eyes were unfocused as if he couldn't believe she was really there."

Snape gulped, and pulled his hand away. Lily was about to open her mouth to speak when suddenly she was enveloped in a strong, and undeniably warm hug. Lily froze, not expecting the intrusion into her personal space, but then placed her arms around his waist and hugged him just as fiercely. "I missed you so much," Snape whispered.

Lily had to bite her lip to keep tears from coming out of her eyes. She hadn't expected to cry, she expected to feel anger if she were to be completely honest, what she didn't expect was to be returning his hug, and feeling somewhat relieved to have him hugging her again. Snape pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing here, Lily?"

"I.." Lily hesitated, not having thought out her plan completely through. Deciding that sticking to the truth as much as possible was key, Lily gave him a small shy smile. "I just missed you, Severus. Missed being your friend, and I was thinking it over. At the time I was very upset with what you said but then I realized, had the situation been reversed, I would have reacted the same way." Lily smiled, smugly. "Maybe even worse."

"And you just came to this epiphany all of a sudden did you?"

Lily shook her head and sat on the plush green arm of the couch on the right side of the room. "It has been bothering me for a while now actually, Severus. It's just, this is our last year you know? And while it has barely started, in a mere eight weeks, the year will be half over. I don't want to leave Hogwarts without you, Severus. We started together as friends, and that is the way we should end our career here."

"You're right." Lily felt her heart sink at the gentle smile that began to form on Snape's lips. What she was doing wasn't right, it wasn't fair to lead him on like this. It took all of Lily's strength to smile back at him, and soon after she found herself subjected to one of his hugs. The worst part of it all? She couldn't help but close her eyes, and pretend that it was James that was hugging her.

**To Be Continued...**

**Next time on Amber Sheets:**

_While Lily and Snape fall back into their old routines, James and Lily get themselves in a predicament that they can't get out of. And something tells me they don't want to._

_Sirius reads Remus' journal and finds out that Snape is manipulating Remus so he could get Lily, and decides the best course of action is to tell James. They decide to show Snape that no one messes with the Marauder's, the problem? Their revenge may break Lily and James' fragile relationship to pieces, causing James to truly lose the one thing he has wanted all along._

_Remus decides to tell Tonks he is a werewolf, and come clean about what was really going on. Meanwhile Tonks' has a bit of a surprise for him herself, one that could possibly get the Marauder's back together, and Remus what he needs during the full moons._

_Meanwhile, Peter and Dorcas sneak out of Hogwarts for a date at Hogsmade, and their fun date turns into a disaster that has all of Hogwarts looking for them, and everyone fearing for their very lives._


	7. What Now?

**Chapter Seven**

**What Now?**

_Where the hell does Snape get the nerve! I mean honestly who- UGH!_

Sirius Black frowned at the tattered pages of Remus' diary, wrath bubbling to the surface with every calligraphied word that passed his stormy gray eyes. He felt sick to his stomach as he read about how much pain Remus was being caused, the guilt he felt about what he is doing, but Sirius saw where he was coming from. Had he been in the werewolf's position Sirius probably would have done the same, most other people would.

The door to the boys' dormitory opened and Sirius looked up from the journal. He sighed in relief to see that it was only James and Peter that had walked in and not Remus. He would have been in huge trouble had it been Remus.

James grinned impishly at Sirius, and plopped down on his bed, feet up against the wall as his head lolled against the edge of the bed. Peter scurried about the room, picking up random articles of clothing sniffing them, then throwing them haphazardly behind him. "Sirius, whatcha doing?" James inquired, looking upside down at his friend, his short black hair fanning out under his head.

"Reading," he answered simply turning his back to James and shifting in the armchair he had thrown himself into three hours prior.

Peter stopped his assault on the room and stared at Sirius, "you don't read. Moony reads, you don't read."

Sirius rolled his eyes at the boy, "I can read, I just choose not to, but this is important."

James reached up and grabbed the book from where it had fallen to Sirius' lap when he shifted in his seat. "This is Remus' journal, Mate. He sees you with this, he will have your head."

"Well, something has been up with Remus lately and I wanted to know what was going on!" Sirius snapped defensively, wrestling the worn journal from James' grasp. "And I was just in the middle of why, when you two came barging in like a pack of bloody wombats!"

"He has no idea what a wombat is does he?" Peter asked, continuing his search through the pile of clothes around the room.

"Nope. What did you find out, Sirius?" James asked quizzically, shifting so that he was laying on his stomach, head propped on his hands.

"Snape, it seems, has something to help Remus during the full moon, but the only way he will give it to Remus is if he helps get Snape together with Lily. He is a bloody prat, how could anyone do that to somebody? I mean yeah we harp on Snape from time to time but if his life was in danger we would protect him from harm. We may complain about it and never let him live it down, but we would help him out."

A look of realization hit James, "that is why he convinced Lily to befriend Snape again? Why didn't he just tell me that, I wouldn't have acted like such an arse then!"

"Remus was probably ashamed that he could be manipulated so easily, and he knew what he was doing was going to hurt you, James so he felt culpability for that as well." Peter disregarded the looks of pure astonishment from the other two boys as he collected his dress shirt and pants from where they were on the bottom of his trunk. Slamming the lid shut he sat atop it and stared at the boys with large innocent eyes.

"You really are smarter than you look, Pete." James whispered in an awed voice, his mouth still hanging open a bit.

"Well one can't hear that enough I assure you," the small boy muttered. Shaking his head he sighed, "What are we going to do? Should we confront Snape about Remus, tell a teacher, what?"

Sirius and James glared at him as if he had gone insane, "ARE YOU A MARAUDER OR AREN'T YOU?"

Peter shrank back, "what did I do?"

"We have to teach Snape that the Marauders are not a group to be reckoned with. We have to make Lily believe that he is an even bigger jerk than James is, when Lily drops him like a hot potato, then we will go to the Headmaster and tell him that Snape knows something that will Remus during the full moons. If there is even a little chance to make the full moon safer for everyone Dumbledore will take whatever measures to make sure that Remus has access to it."

"But isn't that a bit cruel? I know we pull pranks on Snape, and yes I realize that he is just as much of an ass to us as we are to him, but the guy has it hard enough. If we bring the Headmaster into it, he may get expelled from school! Isn't what he's doing considered, _endangerment of student welfare? _Listen, I hate Snape as much as the next guy but I also have a great deal of respect for him. I don't want him kicked out of school…"

James nodded thoughtfully towards Sirius, "now all we need to do is figure out how we are going to make Snape seem like a bigger jerk than I am."

"Well that is going to be a bit of a challenge," Sirius retorted, throwing his head back in a barking laugh. "No one is as much of a jerk as you are."

Throwing one of his pillows at Sirius' head, James laughed, "It's true. We need to try something though."

Peter threw his hands in the air, frustration present in his features. "Again, I am being bloody ignored, why do I even bother trying anymore? Nothing ever changes."

"What you boys need to do is make a Poly Juice potion."

The three boys looked up towards the door of their dorm room, their faces twisting into humorous perplexity, "how long have you been there!" Sirius demanded, jumping up from his place on the arm chair hugging Remus' journal close to his chest possessively.

Tonks ran her hands down her dress, smoothing out the creases. "Not too long, maybe ten minutes." She waved her hand frivolously, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. "That really isn't what is important here."

Peter blushed and looked down, suddenly finding his shoelaces quite fascinating. "How do you suppose we make a Poly Juice potion?" James asked, rolling over and sitting upright, legs crossed carelessly in front of him. "Two of us lack the necessary potions skills, and the other well…. We are not quite sure Sirius can actually read-" "Hey!" "…Not to mention even if we had the skills, none of us know how to make the potion or even what it entails."

"Well, you would need to go to this amazing place known as the _library._ This remarkable place has all these contraptions known as _books._ Books have _words _in them. The words will tell you the _information_ you need to make the potion."

"Any book that has the Poly Juice potion in it will be in the Restricted Section. How do you suppose we get into there, hmm?" Sirius smirked, and almost tumbled back in shock when a smirk identical to his flashed back at him.

"You guys are the Marauders. I am certain that something that contains the words _Restricted Section_ is not enough to stop you from obtaining what you want. In fact if legend serves as accurate then that would make you guys want to enter it even more."

Peter, who seemed to have lost all his energy when Tonks entered the room, slid himself off of his trunk and inaudibly made his way towards the bookcase on Remus' side of the room. Tonks, Sirius and James fell quiet and watched him curiously as he ran his fingers over the worn titles of the numerous books Remus had shoved onto the shelves.

"What is he doing?" Tonks whispered quietly to the other two. Both boys shrugged their shoulders their expressions perplexed. None of them were prepared for when Peter suddenly gave a small cry of 'Ah ha!' which caused them all to jump about a mile in the air. Peter pulled out what seemed to be a faded green ten thousand page encyclopedia.

Vigilantly he carried the book over to James' bed and motioned for Sirius and Tonks to approach the bed. The four teenagers gathered on the bed sitting in a circle with the tome lying between them. _100,000 Difficult and Dangerous Potions _was scrawled in gold across the top of the book. There were no other markings on the cover save scratches, and bits where the material cover was beginning to peel off.

"Why would Remus have a book like this? He hates the potions classes we have here in school." Sirius cocked his head to the side, studying the book as if it would give him the answers he was seeking. It didn't of course, and he sighed, looking away from it disgruntled.

James turned the book towards him, and flipped open the book, coughing as a cloud of dust shot out from between the yellowing thin pages. His eyes widened when he saw the amount of highlighting on the pages of the book, even the index had a good twenty phrases, or pages highlighted. "Whoa," James breathed, pushing his glasses up from where they began to slip off his nose and leaned down to get a closer look at what was highlighted.

"What did you find, Prongs?" Sirius tied his hair back into a ponytail, and leaned down squinting to read the text where his friends head cast a shadow over them.

"Pete, hand me that Muggle notebook Remus gave me for Christmas last year." James leaned behind himself, opening his bedside table and digging though it until he found his extra quills and ink.

By the time Peter had received his notebook, and he had obtained the quill and ink, Tonks had already grabbed the book, her finger marking the pages of the index as she flipped through the tome stopping at the pages Remus had marked. "He was looking up old potions for werewolves." She pursed her lips, stopping at a particularly grotesque picture of a man changing into a werewolf. "Why would he be doing that?"

"Let me see that!" Sirius demanded ripping the book from her hands and dropped it down on the bed. His eyes scanned the page, and indeed it seemed that Tonks was correct.

Every word and phrase that had anything to do with werewolves was highlighted in a bright purple. Anything highlighted in orange it seemed were phrases Remus was either unfamiliar with or needed more information on. Notes were scrawled along the margins, there was barely a space where there were no words covering the page.

"It looks like he was doing some serious research." Tonks murmured, and the others murmured their agreement.

Peter tapped Sirius' shoulder, "What, Pete?" Their eyes all followed Peter's finger to where it was pointing to a particularly sloppy note at the bottom of page 714.

_A werewolf's life expectancy is 13 years from when they were bitten. Potions to lengthen life expectancy have been known to exist **MUST **find out more information on these potions._

"Sirius, how old is Remus again?" James asked quietly, unable to take his eyes off of the note.

"He will be eighteen in March, so seventeen at the moment." James stiffened, and Peter whimpered both of them doing the math in their heads.

"If Remus was bitten when he was five…" James' breath caught in his throat, he was unable to finish the sentence.

"… then he has less than a year."

o0o

Snape flipped through _New Potions Encyclopedia 1977, _and frowned as he read through the fifty three pages of the particular potion he was looking up. Thoughtfully he scratched notes into the margins of the pages, crossing out ingredients and adding the proper ones in the space above the scratches. He muttered to himself about the incompetence of the Potions Masters of the century, shaking his head at their sloppy work. "Severus?"

Snape looked up from his book, his expression curious. He closed the book delicately and placed it on his lap, smiling up shyly at the figure. "Lily."

Lily pointed towards the grassy grounds, "would you mind taking a walk with me. It's pretty out and I fancy a walk. You know how I hate going alone."

"Sure, I would love that." Stowing the book in his pack, Snape threw the bag above his shoulder and followed her off the front steps of the castle towards the lake.

"So how is everything going?" Lily slid her hair behind her ear and looked up at Severus, smiling sweetly.

Snape blushed, looking down at the cobblestone ground they were walking across. "Well, not so bad honestly. No, Marauders around messing with me. My housemates now pretty much leave me alone, well, except for Regulus, but I like having him around." At Lily's smirk he held up his hand, "but don't tell him I told you that! He will never leave me alone."

"Your secret is safe with me," she promised as she crossed her heart with her fingers.

"What about you?" He shoved his hands into his front pockets, and shook the curtain of hair out of his face, looking up at the perfect clear sky above them.

Lily hummed thoughtfully, her fingers twining together behind her back. "Potter and I had a conversation the other night, which has left me a bit confused," she admitted to him wrinkling up her face. "But that isn't what worries me at the moment."

"What is it then?" Snape inquired curiously, as he stopped under the great oak tree at the foot of the Black Lake. Lily leaned against the tree, and shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's Remus."

Severus' eyes darkened, "What is wrong with Lupin now?"

Lily sighed softly and slipped down to the soft ground at the foot of the tree. "He has been so upset lately, hasn't had any sleep. I see him crying all the time when he comes into the common room. He looks so torn; it kills me seeing him in so much pain."

Snape made a noise in his throat and sat beside her on the ground. "Problems in paradise I take it?"

She snorted, "I suppose you can say it like that. I just wish there was some _way_ for me to help him."

If Snape noticed her emphasis on the word way, he didn't make any indication of it. He leaned back against the tree, allowing their arms to touch. "I am sure he will be fine in a few days. Boys go through a mood swing phase every thirty three days or so. He is probably in the middle of his."

Lily gave him a look of exhaustion and ever so slight amusement, "you think he is on his man period?"

Severus smirked, and shrugged his shoulders. "It's probable."

They sat in comfortable silence, watching as the Giant Squid contently swan through the murky waters. Lily cleared her throat, her eyes moving to Snape's, searching. "How long have you known?"

Severus stiffened, and the question. He took a deep breath and replied in a monotone voice, "About?"

"Don't play dumb Severus, it doesn't suit you."

"Since the end of fifth year."

Lily leaned her head against his shoulder, and snuggled close to Snape. The cold afternoon air chilled her to the bone, as she was merely wearing her thin cotton school shirt and skirt. "How did you find out?"

It would have been so easy, so easy for Severus to just tell her the truth. Tell her about how that stupid prick Black had told him how to get down into the Whomping Willow and when to go down there. How Potter had saved his life, because he had gone too far and was almost attacked by Lupin. He knew that it was something that would turn her against the Marauder's forever, but as he went to tell her… he couldn't bring himself to do it. As much as he hated the Marauder's he knew deep down that they were good people and cared deeply for one another. He didn't want to break up Lily's friendship with them because of petty jealously.

"I was in the Hospital Wing then they brought him in one day. The teachers probably thought I was sleeping because they hadn't bothered talking in private about how that full moon had been a really bad one for Lupin, and were discussing if he had better odds being in St. Mungo's or staying in Hogwarts." He lied, staring out towards the lake so he wouldn't be forced to look into her eyes and tell her the truth. "Did you know he has less than a year left?"

Lily lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him through wide eyes, "what?"

"Lupin," Severus clarified, "he has less than a year to live."

Lily's lips pressed together as she took in the information just provided to her; finally she gave up and shook her head. "What are you talking about, Severus?"

"Werewolves from the time they are bitten live an average of ten to thirteen years." Lily nodded her head, remembering reading something about that in her DADA textbook a couple of years prior. "Lupin was bitten when he was a mere five years old. He is now almost eighteen."

Lily covered her mouth, "oh my god…. We… Severus, we have to do something we can't just let…"

Snape cursed his luck, pushing his hand into his robes pocket and produced a piece of paper, handing it to her. "Here."

Lily took the offered paper and looked at it inquisitively, "what is this?"

"It is what I need to make the potion to lengthen Lupin's life." Severus admitted to her, looking to the ground suddenly feeling ashamed. "And… and it'll make his transformations easier as well."

Lily's eyes grew and she held the paper to her chest, "and you kept this from him? Oh Severus, how could you! This could potentially save his life!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Snape growled, "I wanted to make sure I was able to make it for him before saying "Oi, Lupin. I have something that is going to save your life, but guess what? I may not be able to make it and you will prob–, " Lily leaned forward and kissed Snape gently on the lips. As quickly as she kissed him, she pulled away. Lily slipped the paper into the front of her skirt, and smiled affectionately at Snape. "You are a good man, Severus. I don't care what anyone says about you, this proves them all wrong."

For the first time that day he smiled a sincere smiled, "thank you, Lily."

o0o

Remus sighed in relief, stopping at the table that Lily, Severus, Sirius, Marlene, Dorcas and Peter were sat at, and fell into one of the final vacant wooden chairs looking completely exhausted. "Sorry I am late, I needed to stop by Madam Pomfrey."

Sirius squinted at his friend, and reached out his hand to place it on top of Remus', and squeezed it reassuringly. Remus smiled before pulling his hand away to take his parchment from his bag. "Where are James and Brooke-Lynn?"

Lily looked up thoughtfully from her parchment, quill feather stroking the bottom of her chin as she pondered his question. "I actually don't think that I have seen either of them all day."

Peter and Sirius nodded their agreement, sharing a meaningful look between each other. Remus studied his friends suspiciously, but shrugged off his concern and turned to his parchment. "So have we come up with partners yet?"

"Yeah, and Marlene is _not_ happy with the arrangement." Dorcas giggled gently causing Peter to blush. She twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers, "Sirius and Marlene are together, Peter and I, Lily and Severus, and you and James."

Remus frowned in mock disappointment, "I want Sirius!"

"Oh Merlin, please do, I beg you take him! I will pay you ten gallons if you do!" Marlene crossed her legs and slumped in her chair.

Remus wrinkled up his nose, "nah it's ok. I always had a secret love for James anyway."

Remus jumped as two arms engulfed him from behind, hugging him tightly. "OH MOONY, I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD FEEL THE SAME WAY!" A hand ruffled his hair, and chapped lips kissed his forehead before the person fell into the chair beside him grinning mischievously

Placing a hand on his forehead, Remus's smiled his expression not clouding the deep confusion in his eyes. "Why, Prongs, my brother, how absolutely amazing it is for you to join us!"

James shrugged, throwing his bag to the floor. He winced as the bag fell to the floor with a loud BANG! Remus looked down at the bag suspiciously, "What the hell do you have in there, gold blocks?"

" No, books." James answered, simply.

Remus' eyebrows knitted together, "you don't read."

"We can start!" Sirius and James snapped in unison, arms crossing together.

Remus smirked at them, reaching down to grab his quill and ink from the front of his pack. "Well I already started on my letter, though I guess now I may have to change a couple of things." Pursing his lips Remus tapped his quill against his cheek thoughtfully, "where is Brooke-Lynn by the way."

James waved his hand glibly, "she had to get something from Mcgonagall, she said she would meet up with us in the commons later." His face twitched, causing Remus to squint at him.

"What is wrong with your face?" James jumped up, slamming his hands against the maple wood desk. "Order, I will have order! We are here to discuss our letters _not _accuse people of having weird faces. So who is up first?"

Reaching over the table Sirius grabbed the parchment Marlene was writing on, waving it violently in the air. "Have you seen this bloody thing?

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Black,_

I am pleased to inform you of your son Sirius Black's pregnancy! He will remain here the rest of the year with his classmates, as well as the summer. I don't have to tell you the responsibility there is in raising a child, and because of Sirius' instability there is a slight cause for concern. But I feel that if he were to stay under my care, he as well as the baby will be fine. If you have any concerns please contact your son, for this is completely his fault.

sincerely,

Marlene McKinnon ...

What the fuck is that?"

"Language." Remus reprimanded, taking a sip from the butter beer that appeared in front of him. "Thank you, Twinkie." A delighted squeal sounded beside him, before the crack of a house elf disapparating sounded.

Lily watched amused over her parchment "It amuses me so, how they always serve you, no matter where it is."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "they bloody adore him. Haven't a clue as to why. Now back to this letter."

Marlene tutted, arms crossed, "well I would hope they realize it was a hoax, Moron."

"That isn't the assignment!" Sirius protested, "They are supposed to think we are pregnant."

"Regulus owes me," Remus commented, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "I could easily have him convince them that you are in fact truly pregnant."

Sirius opened his mouth, before shutting it. "Never mind. I think I rather not know why my brother owes you. What is Prongs' letter to you anyway?"

James grinned proudly, handing the parchment to Remus. Clearing his throat, Remus scanned the parchment quickly rolling his eyes at the ceiling,

_"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lupin,_

I regret to inform you that your son has gotten another student pregnant. The totally gorgeous and talented James Potter. Anyway he will be staying at the school for the remainder of the school year as well as the summer. Also we regret to inform you due to your sons Lycanthropy, he may have to go in front of the ministry. Well anyways' have a good day.

Sincerely,

James Potter.

Whatever, my parents are just going to laugh at it then throw it away. McGonagall already sent them a letter over the summer about this._"_

"But I worked so hard just to try and shock them!" James pouted, crossing his arms.

Lily cleared her throat, "well I checked over Peter's and Severus'. I trust that Remus looked over Sirius', and that he and Dorcas are able to use their brains and write an appropriate letter so why don't we wrap this up?"

The group all muttered their agreement; Sirius and James jumped out of their seats, and grabbed their bags.  
"Oi, where are you two going? I was hoping to go down to dinner with you guys."

Sirius threw Remus an apologetic look, waving to the group as James pulled him away. "We will catch up later I promise, we just have Astronomy homework we need to do right away." Sirius shook James off him and both ran from the library, ignoring the widened eyes of the group and the shooting glare of Madam Pince.

Remus turned to the others throwing his hand in the direction of the boys, "what was that about."

Lily shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but maybe we should remind them that we haven't has Astronomy since first year?" Peter and Dorcas waved their goodbyes, leaving Snape, Lily and Remus alone. "We are heading to dinner, if you would like to join us."

Remus shook his head, "no, I think I will make a visit to the kitchens. I am still feeling a bit exhausted, so I just want to go to sleep early tonight."

Lily nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing reassuringly, "if you need anything just ask."

Remus held up two fingers, "scouts honor." Remus watched as Severus and Lily left the library, falling deep into thought. "I wonder what Padfoot and Prongs are up to, they were acting so odd." Remus dug the map from his bag, and tapped the cover gently, watching as the writing appeared on the page, footprints walking back and forth on the parchment. "Sirius black," he whispered, the map enlarging next to Sirius' name. Remus frowned noticing that Tonks and James were with him in what appeared to be Moaning Myrtles bathroom.

"What are they doing there?" Closing the map and placing it back in his bag, Remus made a beeline towards Myrtles bathroom intent on finding out what mischief his friends were up to this time, and what exactly Tonks' had to do with it.

o0o

"Before we even start you should know that 16 scruples of Fluxweed and the horn need to be picked during the full moon. Now I don't know about you, but I have no idea where to even begin finding that stuff." Tonks sat cross legged on the sink closest to the back windows of the bathroom, Sirius and James sitting on their robes across the floor.

"There are some in the forbidden forest, towards the middle." Sirius answered, remembering how the scents had bothered his oversensitive nose during his full moon adventures with the other Marauders.

"What about Moony," James pointed out, leaning back on his hands. "We can't just leave him running around the grounds unwatched."k

"We just won't let him out of the Shack that night. Brooke-Lynn can go get the ingredients safely then."

Tonks looked up thoughtfully, "safe my arse have you ever been in the Forbidden Forrest? Are either of you good in potions? I for one am not."

"My Mum and Pop forced me to make potions like this as a child, it shouldn't be too much of an issue." Sirius said, scanning the page of ingredients and instructions. "Some of this stuff is only in Slughorn's stores, if we are lucky that is, I don't see how anyone plans on getting in."

"Are you guys sure you are the Marauder's?" Tonks scoffed, folding her arms across her chest, "you needn't worry about that, I have it covered."

"How-"

"Never mind that, all you need to know is that I have it covered. Now the next full moon is in what…"

"25 days," James responded, flipping open his Agenda to the full moon schedule. "So if we want to do this potion we should start in three days. Is that enough to get the ingredients you think?"

Tonks nodded, "plenty. I'll probably find most of them either tonight or tomorrow. Actually, if you can distract him while we are in class that may work better. There is less chance of getting caught."

"What like, let a dung bomb fall into a cauldron or something?" Sirius asked his eyebrow cocked.

Tonks grinned, "Surprise me."

o0o

Remus allowed himself to fall back against his bed, his face pressing against his soft chocolate scented pillows. He groaned happy to be back in his bed after a long day. He had traveled around the castle trying to find Sirius, James and Tonks, but no matter where he went, he couldn't seem to find them. It was as if someone had placed a spell on the map to deceive him. "What are they up to?" He muttered to himself, throwing an arm over his eyes, the flickering candlelight bothering his sleepy eyes.

"Well Sirius and James are downstairs pulling a prank on the first years, Lily is yelling at them and I am not sure where Peter and Dorcas are. Last I heard of them they left the library quite giggly."

Remus smiled against his arm, "oh boy." The bed sank next to his body and Remus lifted his arm to see Tonks smiling down on him. "What have you been up to? You have been MIA for most of the day."

Tonks shrugged her shoulders, leaning back against his pillow. "Here and there. I had to do something for McGonagall."

Remus rubbed his hand against her arm, before running his fingers up her arm, tangling his fingers into her hair short hair. "I don't believe you."

She laughed, slapping his arm lightly, "it's true! You can go and ask her."

Remus shifted his body and leaned closer to her, "nah uh." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. Tonks' breath came out in a sharp puff, and she closed her eyes pushing herself closer to him. Remus pushed her nose with his, tilting her head to get a better angle at her mouth, "Tonks… I-"

SLAM! Remus and Tonks jumped a foot in the air staring flabbergasted at the door as Sirius and James ran up to his bed looking frantic, "Guys what the hell!"

"It's Peter and Dorcas… Remus, the Deatheater's got them."

_To be continued…_


	8. Never as it Seems

**Never as it Seems**

"I can't believe we are doing this!" Dorcas squealed, her hands coming up to clutch Peter's arm. "What if we get caught?"

Peter placed a hand against the grainy stone wall of the dark tunnel, and pressed a finger to his lips listening for any signs of movement. Silence filled the tunnel for a few moments before he motioned for her to follow him. "We won't get caught. I know almost all of the tunnels that lead to Hogwarts, including the one in the Shrieking Shack if we are really desperate."

Peter crouched down, and placed a small white plastic duck on the floor. It quacked and ran ahead of them, looking for any signs of danger. "It will come back if there are people, or anything of danger, close to us. It isn't much but will warn us if something is coming, and will give us enough time to hide."

Dorcas' eyes widened in awe, a delicate hand came up to press against her mouth. "That is quite ingenious, who came up with that?"

Peter blushed deeply, rubbing his suddenly sweaty hands nervously against his thighs. "Me! I-I created it, I mean. It really isn't that big of a deal!"

Dorcas bit her lip, and looked into his eyes from under her eyelashes, "Well _I _think it is a big deal. I knew there was more to you then that cute shyness."

Peter shrugged bashfully, his shoe catching against the wall as he clumsily moved forward. "N-naw. There really isn't much to me."

The couple fell silent, squinting against the darkness as they tripped and stumbled their way through the tunnel. Peter held out his hand causing Dorcas to stop short. She gasped, knocking into his back. "Peter, what is it?"

He grabbed her hand and placed it against a rope ladder. "We're here." He positioned a hand on the fifth step before turning to smile at her. "Just wait here a second, I have to make sure the coast is clear." He then climbed the rope stopping momentarily to carefully push the trap door above him open as quietly as possible. He pushed and the door flipped, slamming against the stone floor of Honeyduke's cellar harsher than he had intended it to. Peter winced, ducking lower than the door in order to stay out of sight. He perked up his ears, and listened for any type of movement. A rat squealed somewhere at the far side of the room, and scurried across the floor. When he was certain the noise hadn't alerted the owners to the cellar, he pushed himself up and whispered for Dorcas to climb up. "We need to be really quiet now" Peter said softly as he helped her through the hole, He pushed hair and dust away from his face, glancing around the room. "James and Sirius will kill me if the owners find out that we have been entering their store from here." Dorcas nodded her head in understanding.

They tiptoed through the rows of cardboard boxes filled with candy, and up the dimly lit steps towards the main floor of the store. They entered the kitchen, quickly running to the left to hide under the stairs. Dorcas looked around the brightly lit kitchen, her eyes wide with delight. Stoves, dozens of them, were lined up against the far wall. Pans filled with different types of melted chocolate, turned over to spill their contents into a bowl before starting over again to melt more chocolate.

The bowls with the recently melted chocolate glided to the tables in the middle of the room, and began to pour the batter into molds, before they were magically shipped off to the freezer to cool. Dorcas squealed, causing Peter to throw his hand over her mouth, when newly frozen chocolate flew from the fridge and began to wrap themselves in colourful foil, before dropping into cardboard boxes.

Peter grabbed a piece of chocolate and placed it in Dorcas' mouth before pulling her to the other side of the room. He looked once more behind him before pushing the door open, and running into the back garden, Dorcas hot on his heels. They ran through three foot high grass, giggling merrily. Peter stopped between the backyards of Madam Puddifoot's and Zonko's Joke shop, laughing when Dorcas ran passed him. "I can't believe we just did that! Oh my god." Dorcas ran backwards and started turning around, her arm raised as she twisted in the tall grass, Peter caught her in his arms as she almost fell to the ground, both their faces bright red.

He took her hand, pointing towards the front of the stores where the street was, "Do you want to get some dinner at Broomsticks? Rosemerta is so used to us being there she doesn't even yell anymore."

Dorcas cocked her head thoughtfully to the side, "I would love that."

Watching to make sure she wouldn't trip, Peter lead her through the empty streets of Hogsmade. "It's empty tonight, the streets." The hairs at the back of his neck stood up, and he had to fight the instinct to pull Dorcas back to Honeyduke's.

She glanced around and noticed that Peter was indeed correct, not a soul was in the streets. Odd considering the small village us usually bustling. "Well dinner is soon, maybe they are all inside?"

Peter surveyed the area, a sinking feeling in his stomach growing as the seconds passed. "Yeah, maybe." Pushing negative thoughts to the back of his mind, he picked up his pace, stopping short at the Three Broomsticks' entrance.

A crash, and a scream came from inside the bar causing both of them to jump. Peter squeezed her hand, pulling his wand out from his pocket. "Stay here, keep your back to the wall, and stun anything that comes towards you. Seriously, I don't care if it's a cat, just stun it."

Dorcas gripped his shoulder, "where are you going?"

He closed his eyes, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I am just going to make sure everything is ok in the bar, I swear I will be right out."

Her grip tightened on his shoulder, before letting his arm go and nodding reluctantly. "Be careful, Peter."

Peter hmmed, moving to rest his hand against the handle of the front door, his heart pounding in his chest, handle gripped stiffly in his right hand. Closing his eyes, he bit his lip before opening the door open a crack and peering inside the dimly lit bar. He gasped seeing Rosemerta crouched against the bar sobbing, a wand against her neck. Peter let his eyes fly up to the person with the wand, his breath sucking in when he recognized the person.

Bellatrix Black sneered down at the bar keep, her beautiful mouth twisted into a sinister sneer, her wand pressing hard against Rosemerta's neck. Peter flicked his eyes to the other side of the room where a man with long blonde hair was conversing with another he didn't recognize.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Peter groaned, his body being thrown back against the concrete floor.

"Peter!" Dorcas squealed, running over to where the boy had fallen.

"_Protego!" _ She flung the spell over her shoulder, giving her time to skid to Peter's side, and pull him up. They looked around, realizing in horror that they were boxed in by four deatheaters.

"_Corde flamme, évier trou!" _ Bellowed the deatheater from the left. Peter's eyes widened, as he pushed Dorcas behind himself, as whipping cords of bright blue flames flung themselves at their bodies. Dorcas grabbed his shoulders, squealing as the floor below their feet began to shake and rumble. Cracks in the ground beginning to form as the floor started to fall in on itself.

Dorcas pulled Peter down, allowing them to evade a majority of the flames. Peter winced as the flames licked his cheek, leaving a harsh burn in its wake. His hair singed. Peter gritted his teeth, "_Bullentum_!"

Silver bullet's shot from the end of Peter's wand, launching towards their enemy's. The tallest enemy, unlike his comrades whom ducked behind the store, laughed manically, "_Mur de feu_!" The silver bullets were met with an intense wall of fire, where they immediately melted into a silver pool on the floor.

Peter narrowed his eyes, "_Levicorpus_!" The tall deatheater was flung into the air, seemingly by an invisible rope. HIs wand fell from his hand, clambering to the floor below.

"_Accio_!" Dorcas grabbed the wand as it sailed towards her, snapping it in two before throwing it into the wall of fire, effectively destroying it.

"_Confringo_!" Peter threw the spell at the two deatheaters in front of him and Dorcas.

"_Stupify!" _"_Tarantellegra!" _The three spells discharged in the middle. Colourful sparks falling to the floor where the spells hit each other. Dorcas leapt to the right dodging a spell from a Deatheater behind her, while aiming her wand towards the one on her left. "_Furnunculus_!"

"_Aguamenti_!" Water flew from the tip of Peter's wand, wrapping tightly around the two deatheaters behind Dorcas.

Dorcas turned around, flicking her wand throwing a ball of lightning into the water surrounding the Deatheaters. "Dorcas look out!" Peter screamed, pulling her towards him and ducking, crouching over her to protect her from the oncoming bolt which had been reflected back to them. Peter staggered to his feet. Looking around he saw that the two Deatheaters had been knocked unconscious. He gave a sigh of relief.

"_Relashio_!" Pain flew up Peter's arm, causing him to grit his teeth. He gripped his wand tighter, refusing to let the object fall him his hand.

"_Stupefy_!" Peter seethed, willing the pain in his arm to go away.

The Deatheater lurched away from him, "_Sectumsempra!_"

Peter stood still in shock his eyes widening, That voice. Peter recognized that voice. "S… Snape?" Dorcas pulled Peter out of the way as the spell slashed passed him, missing his arm by mere inches.

_"Confundo!"_ She snapped, the spell hitting the person square in the chest, causing him to fall over. Peter watched as the man tried to stand up but failed.

The field became quiet, both Peter and Dorcas surveying the area before running to the man hit by the confundus charm. Though a hood covered the man's face, Peter was almost certain about who it was. He ran up to the person, grabbed the wand that had fell from the persons hand to the floor, and threw it to Dorcas whom placed it in her pocket. He pulled the hood away to reveal a defiant Snape, his eyes darker than usual as he glared up at Peter from under his fringe.

"Snape, how... why... when..." Peter couldn't find the words, shock causing him to completely freeze as he stared down at his classmate of six years. Dorcas had her hand over her mouth, and was shaking her head in disbelief, unable to believe that the boy in front of her was the same person as her classmate.

Snape had the decency to look ashamed at the floor, anger gracing his features. "You and Dorcas need to get out of here, Pettigrew. You... You'll get killed if you don't."

"_Finite Incantatem!" _The confundus spell was lifted from Snape, and Peter pulled him up to his feet. Holding onto Snape's arm until he was sure the boy was steady on his feet.

"Peter, what... he's a deatheater!"

Peter shook his head in her direction, "He is our classmate first, Dorcas. I trust him. Besides he can't hurt us, you have his wand." Peter turned to Snape, "The Deatheaters are knocked out, Snape. Come back to Hogwarts with us, we can go to Professor Dumbledore... we can get you help."

Snape closed his eyes, shaking his head. "You can't help me, Pettigrew. Listen, you need to get out of here. If the Dark Lord comes here, if other Deatheaters come here, they will capture you and torture you. Look, I know we have had our bad times, but I won't have your death on my hands. Go, before you are seen."

"What about you!" Peter growled, pulling on Snape's sleeve. "I think you are a greasy git as much as the next guy, but that isn't a reason to have you killed, Snape. You need to come back with us."

"If I go back with you, he will kill me. Don't you understand!" Peter looked into Snape's eyes and saw fear there, but under that he saw concern. Whether it was for Peter and Dorcas' safety, or his own. Peter did not know. Snape pulled Peter closer, his breath hot in his ear as he whispered. "I will throw a spell at you, and Dorcas. Play along until I give you the signal to run, when I give you that signal, run and don't look back until you are safely in the castle. Nod if you understand me."

Peter nodded ever so slightly, gasping as he was pushing violently onto his back. Snape glared at Dorcas, his wand whipping from her back pocket and flying back into its owner's hand.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

"_Stupify_!"

The spells met and rebounded, the slashing spell backfiring and flung themselves back at Snape, who got slashed on his right cheek from the impact. Peter's spell was flung at him but he dodged just in time, the spell hitting the floor three feet behind him.

"_Impendimenta_!"

"_Évier trou!"_

The spells flew across the street, colliding with each other. The ground split spell from Snape met with Peter's and slowed down almost completely. It inched towards peter but his spell held it fast.

"_Stupify! Levicorpus_!"

"_Protego! Mur de feu!" _The force of spell slammed into Snape's shield, bending it. Peter would have been able to break the shield had the wall of flames not been called dup, effectively blocking the full force of the spells.

"PETER, WATCH OUT!" Peter turned around, just in time to see a wave of brinks tower over him and Dorcas, Snape's eyes widened in alarm, his hand going to pull Peter out of the way, but it was too late.

"_Protego maxima_!"

Snape whispered, his eyes scanning the pile he watched the bricks fall upon Dorcas and Peter, hoping that the impact hadn't killed them.

A crackled laugh came from behind him, and Snape jumped, his wand raised as he turned to meet the intruder. "Bellatrix, you fool. do you realize what you have done?" Bellatrix sneered at him, flicking her wand and causing the rocks to be lifted from Peter and Dorcas. They both lay upon the ground, various parts of their body bloodied, but Snape sighed in relief when he noticed that they were still breathing. "The Dark Lord is not going to be happy about this; he said not to attack those from the school."

Laughing Bellatrix threw her head back, "and what would the Dark Lord say when his new recruit was playing spell tag with said children?"

Snape's hands rolled into fists, "I didn't almost kill them! I was going to obliviate their minds, and send them back to the school. You made that impossible, they go back to the school in this condition and our cover is found out, you fool."

Bellatrix smirked, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she circled him, "then there is only one thing we can do."

Snape swallowed nervously, "and what is that?"

"We take them to Riddle Mansion." Snape froze, his eyes slipping to his classmates who where lying still against the floor. Ice cold dread running down his spine. "We bring them to the Dark Lord."

**To be continued...**


End file.
